Phillies' Justin Crawford: Expected to make Opening Day roster
Rotowire
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated Tuesday that Crawford has a strong chance to open the season in the majors, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
The Phillies lost Max Kepler and Harrison Bader to free agency and are expected to trade or release Nick Castellanos, which would leave Brandon Marsh as the team's only returning outfielder. Even if they sign an outfielder in free agency, that would still leave a spot open for Crawford. The 21-year-old makes good contact, striking out 18.0 percent of the time in 112 Triple-A games last season en route to a .334 batting average, and he's stolen 40-plus bags for three straight years. He pounds the ball into the ground, however, and has topped out at nine home runs in a season.
Phillies' Justin Crawford: Team not sold on CF defense
Rotowire
The Phillies are unconvinced that Crawford is currently capable of playing average defense in center field, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Crawford's bat looks major-league ready after he slashed .334/.411/.452 with seven home runs and 46 stolen bases at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season as a 21-year-old. However, the Phillies aren't confident he can handle center field defensively at the big-league level, which makes him a more difficult fit on their roster. The 2022 first-round pick did play some left field in 2025 for the first time in pro ball and also got some starts at designated hitter. It's possible Crawford develops into a better defender, so depending on how the Phillies' offseason plays out, the club could give him a shot in center field in 2026 and hope his defense improves.
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Phillies' Justin Crawford: Recovering from concussion
Rotowire
It's unknown if Crawford (concussion) will play again this season, MLB.com reports.
Crawford departed Triple-A Lehigh Valley's contest on Sept. 4 following a collision with Otto Kemp on a fly ball, and the former remains in the concussion protocol after going on the injured list Sept. 5. Lehigh Valley's season finale is scheduled for Sept. 21, which gives Crawford a bit more than a week to recover in order to return before the campaign ends. The 21-year-old speedster is one of Philadelphia's top prospects, slashing .334/.411/.452 with 34 extra-base hits, 47 RBI, 88 runs scored and 46 stolen bases across 506 plate appearances in the minor leagues.
Crawford (quadriceps) has gone 2-for-9 with a walk while making a pair of starts in center field since returning to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley lineup Saturday.
Crawford missed just over a week's worth of action due to a quad injury, but Lehigh Valley never placed him on its injured list before he checked back into the starting nine this weekend. The 21-year-old is now batting .344/.411/.439 with 23 steals in 29 attempts through 54 games at Triple-A, and his contact skills and speed could earn him a look in the majors at some point later this summer if the Phillies aren't satisfied with the production the duo of Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas are providing in their center-field platoon.
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Phillies' Justin Crawford: Dealing with quad injury
Rotowire
Crawford hasn't played for Triple-A Lehigh Valley since June 5 due to a quad injury, Corey Nidoh of Philly Sports Network reports.
He reportedly participated in pregame activities Tuesday but has missed six games in a row with the injury without having been placed on the 7-day injured list. Crawford, 21, is one of the youngest players at Triple-A and is slashing .349/.416/.448 with one home run and 23 steals in 52 games. He could produce a high average and a plethora of steals if given a shot in the big leagues later this summer, but his extreme groundball (63.6 GB%) and opposite-field (43.8 Oppo%) tendencies will prevent him from hitting for notable power.
Crawford will begin the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Upon reaching Double-A Reading midway through last season, Crawford slashed .337/.386/.462 with 26 RBI and 16 stolen bases over 185 plate appearances. Rather than sending him back for more Double-A reps, the Phillies will quickly promote the 21-year-old outfielder to Triple-A. If Crawford's dominance at the plate continues at Lehigh Valley, he may have a chance to make his MLB debut at some point in 2025.
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Phillies' Justin Crawford: Among cuts by Philadelphia
Rotowire
The Phillies reassigned Crawford to minor-league camp Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Crawford played well in his opportunities this spring, reaching base five times and stealing a pair of bases in 12 plate appearances, but the 21-year-old never had a real chance to make the big-league roster. He is likely headed back to Double-A Reading to begin the 2025 season.
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