J.P. Crawford DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena and shortstop J.P. Crawford are both taking the day off on Thursday in the series finale against the division-rival Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum. Victor Robles will start in left field and bat leadoff, while Leo Rivas will make the start at the 6 and bat ninth against A's right-hander Joey Estes. This will be just Arozarena's second day off with Seattle since they acquired him at the end of July from the Rays. He's been a bit better in Seattle than he was in Tampa earlier this year, batting .238 (29-for-122) with three homers and 12 RBI in his 34 games played. Crawford, meanwhile, has a hit in each of his last two games but has gone 2-for-24 with five strikeouts in seven games since returning from an IL stint on Aug. 28. Robles has been a new hitter since joining the M's and will be a nice sleeper target in DFS in the leadoff spot on Thursday.

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (finger) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday and is back at shortstop and batting leadoff against the Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Drew Rasmussen at T-Mobile Park. In a corresponding move, the M's optioned outfielder Dominic Canzone to Triple-A Tacoma. Crawford will return to Seattle for the first time since suffering a hairline fracture of his right pinkie finger when being hit by a pitch in late July. The 29-year-old will return to everyday duties at the 6, sending Leo Rivas back to a bench role. It's good news for the Mariners as they look to close the gap on the Houston Astros atop the American League West division, but fantasy managers probably aren't all that interested in Crawford if he's available on the waiver wire after he's hit just .204/.299/.347 on the season with nine homers, 32 RBI and five steals in 294 at-bats.

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (finger) was back at T-Mobile Park during an off day across the minors on Monday and took part in a simulated game and on-field batting practice. It's possible he'll need another simulated game and/or another rehab game, although High-A Everett and Triple-A Tacoma are both on the road this week. If all goes well, Crawford could return before the M's wrap up their homestand on Wednesday, but all signs point to him returning by this weekend in Anaheim at the latest. He went 1-for-6 over the weekend with Tacoma, playing five innings in the field on Saturday and seven innings on Sunday. The 29-year-old has been out since July 22 due to a right-pinkie fracture. It's his second stay on the IL this year, and he's also hit a disappointing .204 (60-for-294) in 2024 with nine homers, 32 RBI and five steals for fantasy managers.

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (finger) started his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday and went 0-for-3. Crawford started at shortstop and was replaced after playing five innings. Although the 29-year-old didn't play the full game, it's still encouraging that he was able to play on defense in his first game. Barring a setback after a few more contests in the minors, he could rejoin Seattle's lineup at some point next week. Crawford is unlikely to suddenly boost Seattle's floundering offense when he returns from the injured list, as he was hitting a disappointing .204 (60-for-294) with nine home runs, 32 RBI and five stolen bases in 77 games this year before getting hurt. Leo Rivas has been serving as the team's starting shortstop in Crawford's absence.

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford, who has been sidelined with a fractured pinky finger, began a rehab assignment on Saturday night. The veteran is hitting second and playing shortstop in Triple-A Tacoma. Crawford is hitting .204 with nine home runs, 32 RBI, five stolen bases, and 42 runs in 335 plate appearances at the major league level. Crawford has struggled this year and may face some competition from Leo Rivas, who is hitting .286 with seven RBI and two stolen bases while spelling the veteran Crawford, who could return as early as this week from the injured list.