Seattle Mariners dodge bullet, won’t be without J.P. Crawford for long

Some relatively good news comes down following a scary moment during Tuesday night’s blowout loss to Texas.

At this point in the season, an 11-4 loss doesn’t hurt as bad as it would have 20 or 30 games ago. But the Mariners and their fans exited last night’s blowout loss to the Rangers in dismay. Not just because of the final score, but for the uncertainty surrounding J.P. Crawford.

In the eighth inning, Crawford had been caught in a rundown in between third base and home plate. Crawford awkwardly twisted his ankle and immediately got up writhing in pain. He had to be helped off the field, and the replay of the injury was brutal to say the least.

Immediate panic of a potential season-threatening injury began to swirl. These worries grew larger when it was reported that Crawford entered the Mariners’ clubhouse with crutches and a walking boot on this morning, applying absolutely no weight to the injured ankle.

X-rays revealed the injury to be an ankle sprain, but Scott Servais remained unsure about the severity until further testing was done. Thankfully, news has come down within the last hour that Crawford suffered an average ankle sprain rather than a high ankle sprain, and the hope is that he will only miss two weeks of time.

Crawford has dealt with injuries in the past, which significantly hindered the jumpstart of his career in Philadelphia. So the news that the injury is relatively minor is probably the best thing the Mariners could have possibly heard, as the two week timeframe shouldn’t hamper Crawford’s season in any major way.

The 24-year-old shortstop was slashing .279/.343/.426 with one home run and five RBIs since being called up on May 11. Not only had he been impressive at the plate thus far, playing an above-average shortstop for an incredibly defense-deficient team.

Utilityman Dylan Moore was called back up in place of Crawford after being sent down by Seattle in favor of Kyle Seager last Saturday. Moore went 2-for-19 in his four games with Triple-A Tacoma during that time.