Mariners get tough injury news for shortstop J.P. Crawford

If the last few weeks have not been bad enough for the Seattle Mariners then last night's game may be the icing on the cake. In the first at-bat of the game, Mariners starting shortstop J.P. Crawford was hit by a pitch on his hand. After meeting with trainers, he stayed in the game and took his base. He actually scored a run, the Mariners' only run of the night, before exiting the game.

After losing to the Los Angeles Angels by a score of 3-1, Mariners Skipper Scott Servais delivered the bad news: J.P. Crawford has a hairline fracture in his pinky and will head to the injured list. The Mariners have now lost three key members of their lineup in the past two days. In Sunday's game, outfielder Julio Rodriguez exited the game after a scary crash into the outfield wall and ended up with a sprained ankle. After the game, starting first baseman Ty France was placed on waivers, and now Crawford.

This season has not been kind to Crawford. This will be his second stint on the injured list. The first stint was from an oblique injury suffered on April 25th. Currently, there is no timetable for him to return.

Injuries aside, Crawford is having a poor season at the plate, making his magical run in 2023 look like a distant memory. Last season, he led the league in walks, had an OPS+ of 132 and even finished 16th in the American League MVP voting. This year, he is hitting just .204/.299/.347 with an OPS+ of 88. That is 12% lower than the league average. His strikeout percentage (22.7%) is the worst he has had in a Mariners uniform.

Who will take his place at shortstop?

Back in late April when J.P. first went on the Injured List, the Mariners called up Leo Rivas. He made his Major League debut when he finally got in some game action but was seldom used and eventually was sent back down after only six at-bats. Rivas has been on fire down in Tacoma lately, and that may be enough to get him called back up. Rivas has reached base in 30 consecutive games, hitting .377/.493/.988 with 34 hits, 32 walks, and just 25 strikeouts. He has also stolen 14 bases over that span.

The Mariners sent Ryan Bliss back to the minors on Monday but could opt to bring him back to play some shortstop. Players already on the roster who could slide in are Dylan Moore and Josh Rojas. Rojas has not played a ton of shortstop in his career but could slide over in a pinch if needed.

The timing of this injury is interesting. We are a little over a week away from the trade deadline, and speculation will be running wild for the Mariners. Shortstops on the market include Bo Bichette, Paul DeJong, and Luis Rengifo (who is currently injured).

This Mariners lineup is broken. With J.P. going down, the Mariners not only lose their Captain and shortstop, they lose their leadoff hitter as well. The case can be made that J.P. shouldn't have been leading off anymore, but it's not like the Mariners have a player who can take over and be productive from that spot. For now, expect a mix of Josh Rojas and Victor Robles to lead off. Once Julio Rodriguez is back in the lineup, he may have a shot as well.

Get well soon J.P., and as always, Go Mariners!