Mariners' J.P. Crawford problem is becoming a bigger red flag before Opening Day

Throughout this decade, the Seattle Mariners have pretty much set their watch to J.P. Crawford being out there at shortstop every day. And that, in turn, is what makes what is happening with him this spring feel so ominous.

The Mariners are nearly a month into their Cactus League schedule, yet the 31-year-old Crawford has appeared in only seven games because of a sore right shoulder. Per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, the latest is that Crawford is visiting with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister. Imaging on his shoulder was clean, but the Mariners want to make sure of their treatment plan.

Mariners GM Justin Hollander rated his concern level as "not high." Specifically, he's not concerned that Crawford is headed toward a "surgical option."

Meanwhile, Opening Day is only eight days away.

Mariners can't afford to have their J.P. Crawford problem spin out of control

For lack of a better word, Crawford came into spring training as the inoffensive member of the Mariners' projected 2026 lineup.

The stars were all up top, whereas he would bat toward the bottom and hopefully stabilize a group of hitters that has some questions. It's the perfect role for a hitter with a .345 OBP and 108 OPS+ over the last five seasons. He isn't the type to carry a lineup, but he's perfect for turning one over.

All of a sudden, though, he's barely playing. And even when he has, he's just 2-for-16 with two singles.

There's the defensive side of all this, too. Though Crawford was a Gold Glover in 2020, he has trended more toward being below average in the field since then. And in what might have been an early sign of trouble, he had trouble throwing the ball strongly and accurately late in the 2025 season.

Given how close to Opening Day the Mariners are, it wouldn't be surprising if their low concern level leads to a season-opening IL stint for Crawford anyway. The question then: Who plays short?

Colt Emerson would have been the popular pick a month ago, but that ship has likely sailed. Sure, he's MLB Pipeline's No. 9 prospect and very obviously the future at shortstop. But he's also a 20-year-old with six games of experience at Triple-A. He's looked the part this spring, showing some good defensive chops but batting just .250 with one home and nine strikeouts in 15 games.

Brendan Donovan can play shortstop, but only in a pinch. Cole Young mostly played short in the minors, but the Mariners have viewed him as their second baseman of the future for a long time.

So… Leo Rivas? That would make the most sense, and it would have the downstream benefit of allowing the Mariners to delay cutting ties with Miles Mastrobuoni, who's out of minor league options.

Even so, Rivas is the kind of guy you only want at short on a temporary basis. Which is to say that if Crawford's shoulder injury is more serious than the Mariners think, they'll run the risk of having a short-term solution turn into a long-term problem.

All this is thinking very far ahead, of course, but that's the kind of thinking the Mariners should have been doing weeks ago. If Crawford does need IL time, it's not just a bad blow. It's a tacit admission that the team screwed up.