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.
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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.
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Phillies' Justin Crawford: Bumped up to Double-A
Rotowire
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.
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Phillies' Justin Crawford: Promoted to Single-A
Rotowire
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.
