J.P. Crawford is officially back for your Seattle Mariners, activated from the IL today after battling right wrist inflammation since July 30. This is huge for the Emerald City’s lineup, giving manager Dan Wilson some much-needed flexibility and a familiar face back at shortstop.
The Captain’s Return: What It Means For The Diamond
Our captain, J.P., went through his rehab stint with the Tacoma Rainiers, playing three games over the past week. He had a bit of a slow start, going hitless in his first outing, but then absolutely exploded with a three-hit game that included a homer the very next day. He even tacked on another hit in his final appearance with Tacoma, showing he’s ready to roll. The last box to check was a standard pregame workout at T-Mobile Park yesterday, which he cleared with no issues, paving the way for his activation today. With J.P. back, the Mariners recover a ton of that on-base ability we’ve been missing. He’s a veteran presence known for working those lengthy at-bats, whether he’s batting at the top or bottom of the order, and that’s exactly what this team thrives on. Yesterday’s 9-2 win over the Phillies was a good start, but getting J.P. back just takes it to another level.
Infield Shuffle: Colt Out, Donovan Looms
This return comes with some bittersweet news for our infield. Colt Emerson, who had been holding down short in J.P.’s absence and even alongside him earlier in the year, is now done for the season with a similar wrist issue. He’s scheduled for surgery today, which means J.P. is strictly back at shortstop for the foreseeable future. That limits some of the defensive flexibility the M’s might have had with J.P. able to play third while Brendan Donovan is out, but he was taking reps exclusively at short yesterday, so that’s where he’s locked in. Speaking of Donovan, he’s still on the concussion IL, but he’s eligible to come off of it this Saturday, assuming he’s fully recovered from that batting practice pitch incident. In a corresponding move today, Leo Rivas got sent back to Tacoma, and rookie Brock Rodden is staying with the big-league club for now. He’ll likely get a little more seasoning before probably heading back to Tacoma himself when Donovan eventually returns. It’s a revolving door right now, but getting J.P. back solidifies a key spot.
Looking ahead, the main focus is on getting Donovan back healthy this weekend and seeing what the full infield picture looks like with everyone available. For now, let’s just enjoy having J.P. Crawford back at short, bringing that veteran leadership and grit. Go M’s!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
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