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.
The Phillies promoted Crawford from High-A Jersey Shore to Double-A Reading on Friday.
Crawford didn't immediately report to Reading over the weekend since he took part in the All-Star Futures Game in Arlington, Texas, so his Double-A debut will have to wait until the second half of the season. The 20-year-old outfielder earned the promotion to Reading after slashing .301/.349/.438 with six home runs and 27 stolen bases across 317 plate appearances with Jersey Shore.
Phillies' Justin Crawford: Thriving early on at High-A
Rotowire
The Phillies promoted Crawford from Single-A Clearwater to High-A Jersey Shore on Aug. 15.
Crawford has put his speed and high-contact approach on display through his first nine games at Jersey Shore, slashing .296/.387/.407 with four stolen bases while striking out just four times through his first 31 plate appearances (19.4 percent). Before getting the promotion, Crawford had been one of the top speed merchants in the Florida State League, nabbing 40 stolen bases in 47 attempts.
Crawford was promoted to Single-A Clearwater on Thursday, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Crawford was selected by the Phillies with the 17th overall pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, and he'll advance to the Single-A level after just 10 games of rookie ball. During his time with the Phillies' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate, he hit .306 with a triple, five runs, five RBI and five stolen bases.
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