ARLINGTON -- J.P. Crawford was back in the Mariners’ lineup Saturday after missing four games with left wrist soreness, but his return did not come with a return to the leadoff spot.
Instead, Cole Young stayed at the top of the order for the second game of this critical four-game series against the Rangers, while Crawford slotted in at third base and hit No. 8. It was the lowest spot Crawford has occupied in the lineup this season, though it’s a place he knows well from last year, when he spent much of the stretch after the Trade Deadline batting eighth or ninth.
“We talked about it today,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said before the game. “And as always, we continue to talk about it with our guys as things change and develop. And yeah, it's always a conversation.”
Young had led off in two of the four games Crawford missed, with both coming against right-handed starters, including Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi on Saturday. The 22-year-old has been more productive overall than Crawford this season, even if Crawford has the edge in on-base percentage when batting first.
Young owns a .333 on-base percentage in 51 plate appearances leading off, while Crawford has posted a .356 OBP in that role. But across the board, Young has delivered the stronger numbers: a .256/.314/.403 slash line and a .717 OPS, compared with Crawford’s .215/.338/.352 line and .690 OPS.
“Cole has swung the bat well and has done a great job when he's been there,” Wilson said. “J.P., I think, with the wrist, a good idea to keep him a little bit lower at this point.
And so, Cole was swinging the bat really well last night. He just continues to do the things and swing the bat like he does.
He uses the whole field and is able to take advantage of mistakes. And I think he will fit well there.”
Wilson also left the door open for Brendan Donovan to join the Mariners on their upcoming trip to Dodger Stadium, which begins Tuesday. Donovan and his wife, Aly, are close to welcoming their second child, and that could push back his arrival by a few days.
“I think there's a chance, yeah,” Wilson said. “I think, obviously, it's kind of a play and then kind of evaluate.
But I think we'll just continue to evaluate as he goes. Just a couple more games here, I think, for sure.”
Donovan’s timeline still depends largely on how he continues to recover from the left groin strain that has kept him out since May 17. The Mariners want to make sure his return sticks.
He has gone 0-for-21 with one walk and eight strikeouts in six games on a Minor League rehab assignment. During that stretch, he’s been used at designated hitter for his first two games, then at second base, third base, right field and left field as the Mariners prepare for him to fill a super-utility role.
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