J.P.

Crawford

With J.P. Crawford coming off the IL, it will be Canzone that goes to the minors to make room. The 27-year-old had a chance to emerge as an everyday outfielder for the Mariners earlier in the season, but Victor Robles’ emergence as put a dent in that. Canzone will now operate as organizational depth in the minors.

Crawford has been on shelf since July 22 with a fractured finger and was originally hit with a 4-6 week timeline, so his return fits the original bill. The veteran should slide right back into the starting shortstop role with the Mariners, and the team needs him. Seattle was tied for the AL West division lead when he was placed on the injured list more than one month ago, but they are now 3 1/2 games back.

Crawford played in his first rehab game since being placed on the injured list July 22 with a fractured finger. The 29-year-old will likely need a handful of games at the Triple-A level before he’s ready to come off the shelf, but he should be back as the starting shortstop — assuming no setbacks — by the end of August.

This may have been the final hurdle for Crawford to clear before heading out on a minor league rehab assignment — which could begin before the weekend is through. The 29-year-old shortstop has been shelved since July 22 due to a fractured finger.

The 29-year-old shortstop has been sidelined since July 22 due to a fractured finger, but he’s making quick work of his recovery. Barring any setbacks, there’s a chance that he could be back in the Mariners’ lineup before the end of next week, which would come in at the early end of his initial 4-6 week estimate.

Crawford is right at the four-week mark for an injury that was originally given a timetable of 4-6 weeks. If he feels comfortable swinging, the Mariners probably won’t waste much time before getting him back into the lineup.

No surprise here as Crawford is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, according to Mariners general manager Justin Hollander, after suffering a hairline fracture of his pinky finger during Monday’s game against the Angels. It’ll likely be Dylan Moore taking over as Seattle’s primary shortstop for now, but it’s possible they’ll make a move at the upcoming trade deadline to fill the void.

Adding injury to insult. The Mariners will likely go back to Dylan Moore at shortstop with Crawford out. They could recall Ryan Bliss, even though he was just sent down prior to Monday’s game. Moore should offer some value in deeper mixed leagues while Crawford is out.

Crawford was hit on the hand by a pitch in the top of the first. He remained in to run and played defense in the bottom of the inning, but he didn’t come back out for the second. Luke Raley entered in his place, pushing Dylan Moore from first base to shortstop.

Crawford probably ought to be batting in the bottom third of a major league lineup, but since the Mariners have a lot of guys fitting that description, he’s remained the everyday leadoff man this season. The excellent game tonight puts him at .212/.308/.357 in 308 plate appearances.