Top Prospect Crawford Injured

Per a report this morning from Philadelphia Phillies MLB.com insider Todd Zolecki, the club’s top prospect, shortstop J.P. Crawford, will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks with a strained left oblique injury.

Crawford has been ranked by every major scouting and evaluation source as the team’s top prospect. He was the Phils 1st Round pick in the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft out of Lakewook High School in California, the 16th overall selection that year.

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Having turned 20-years old back in January, there was no chance of Crawford seeing the major leagues in the 2015 season. Having advanced over the last two years through the Phils system, from Rookie through all of the ‘A’ level teams, four different stops in all, he was likely slated to begin this year at AA with the Reading Fightin Phils.

The injury is not believed to be serious, requiring just rest at this point. Ultimately it may mean that he is eased back into things with some at-bats back in Florida in early May, or perhaps will begin his season instead back with the High-A Lakewood BlueClaws before moving up to Reading later in the summer.

Crawford had just begun his spring with the Phillies minor leaguers a little more than a week ago, and had homered as recently as this past Sunday. The Reading squad will begin their own workouts on Easter Sunday, but now the young shortstop will have to wait for his own debut with the team.

All in all, this shouldn’t be any big deal in the grand scheme of things as far as his overall development is concerned. The earliest that Crawford is expected to contend for a role with the big league Phillies would be next spring, and it is much more likely that he wouldn’t see Citizens Bank Park in pinstripes before later in the summer of 2016.

Stay tuned here at TBOH, and at our Twitter feed @FS_TBOH, for regular updates on J.P. Crawford’s physical condition and progression in his return, as well as all other important Phillies-related injury and other information.