Mariners Place J.P. Crawford On 10-Day IL

The Mariners have placed shortstop J.P. Crawford on the 10-day injured list, three days after a hit-by-pitch forced him from the game. They’re calling the injury a right hand contusion. In Crawford’s place, Seattle has recalled infielder Ryan Bliss from Triple-A Tacoma.

It’s a poorly timed injury for the Mariners, as Crawford’s recent play has played a big role in Seattle’s climb to the top of the AL West. Dating back to late April, the veteran shortstop has slashed .258/.366/.500 with nine homers, a pair of doubles and a 12.7% walk rate in 142 trips to the plate. He’s done so while handling shortstop duties on a near-daily basis, though Crawford recently volunteered to begin working out at the hot corner and could slide over to third base as a means of opening more shortstop work for top prospect Colt Emerson. Crawford is a free agent at season’s end, whereas Emerson is viewed as the shortstop of the future.

Overall, Crawford is hitting .228/.356/.409 this season. By measure of wRC+, he’s been about 26% better than average — thanks largely to that hearty on-base percentage. His glovework at shortstop no longer grades plus (or even average), which is also partly why he’s been tinkering with a move to third base.

With Crawford sidelined, Emerson figures to handle shortstop for at least the next week. He’s gotten out to a .242/.319/.548 slash with four homers through his first 69 trips to the plate at the major league level. Since Brendan Donovan is on the shelf again — and has been since May 15 due to a groin strain — third base reps will fall primarily to Patrick Wisdom and Bliss for the time being. Bliss has been more of a second baseman in his career, but he’s played 56 innings at the hot corner in Tacoma recently.

It’s an unenviable spot for now, but since Crawford’s injury doesn’t seem too severe, the Mariners can hope they’re not that far from having a healthy Donovan, Crawford and Emerson to man the left side of the infield in some capacity. Donovan could always shift to the outfield corners or second base at some point, too, but the Mariners have gotten good production from Randy Arozarena in left field, Luke Raley in right (against righties anyhow), Cole Young at second base and Dominic Canzone at designated hitter. The exact alignment will be determined by the overall health of the roster, but Seattle has quality hitters at just about every position if they can get everyone on the active roster at the same time.