The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of young talent in the minor leagues. Mick Abel and Otto Kemp notably made their major league debuts this season, and a few other prospects could be next in line.
As the July 31 trade deadline approaches, the Phillies will be in the market for bullpen help. The team could also look to add another bat in the outfield, particularly a right-handed hitter to join the platoon in left field with Max Kepler.
To their displeasure, Phillies fans may have to live with the fact the team may not upgrade the outfield at the deadline. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stated that he’s happy with where the lineup is at (subscription required), per The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, but that doesn’t mean that the team isn’t looking for upgrades.
Phillies all but reveal that Justin Crawford is next in line to make MLB debut
With the outfield being a weakness in 2025, particularly in left and center field, Phillies fans have been calling for a change. The organization’s No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, just so happens to be an outfielder.
“We've got Justin Crawford, who's doing great at Triple-A and wouldn't be hesitant if the need came up to bring him up to the major league level,” Dombrowski said on an episode of the Starkville podcast when discussing the Phillies’ plans ahead of the trade deadline.
Crawford, the son of former MLB All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford, was the Phillies’ first-round pick in 2022. He’s a left-handed hitting outfielder who has done nothing but hit over the last three years.
Crawford has been a steady riser in the Phillies’ system. He went from Single-A to High-A in 2023 and then from High-A to Double-A in 2024. Despite hitting .364 with only one strikeout in 11 at-bats with the big league club during spring training, Crawford began the 2025 season in Triple-A.
Much like the rest of his minor league career, Crawford has done nothing but hit throughout his first full season in Triple-A. The 21-year-old is slashing .331/.404/.432 with a .836 OPS, 14 doubles, three triples and 26 stolen bases in 63 games.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson echoed Dombrowski's sentiments (subscription required) following the series finale in Houston, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb. “Oh yeah,” Thomson said when asked if Crawford has put himself in line for a promotion. “Absolutely.”
The knock on Crawford is that his power has yet to develop. He has just 14 home runs in 276 career minor league games, including two in 2025. The lack of power shouldn’t overshadow his incredible offensive ability and speed on the base paths.
Justin Crawford went 3-for-4 with a home run in the @IronPigs win over Buffalo! ☄️ pic.twitter.com/HXIABsTucf
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) June 26, 2025
Crawford has primarily been used in center field to start his professional career, but he has appeared in 17 games in left field, all of which have come this season with the IronPigs. He owns a perfect fielding percentage in left field and has committed just two errors in center field through 372 1/3 innings in 2025.
The Phillies may not add an outfielder or position player at the trade deadline, but help could be on the way from the farm if the offense continues to struggle as the second half of the season gets underway.
“There have been two trading deadlines where we advanced, and we ended up [calling up] Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi when I was with Boston, and they did great for us the last couple months of the season,” Dombrowski said on the podcast about the possibility of calling Crawford or other prospects up. “So you can add from your own system in that regard, and you compare it to who else may be available.”