As reported by all of the beat writers, Phillies top prospect J.P. Crawford will be out 4-6 weeks with an oblique injury. In terms of missing time, Crawford will miss 2-4 weeks of games and will likely start in Clearwater where the weather is warmer and there are plenty of members of the training staff. That being said he should be in Reading by the end of May. Up to this point, Crawford has continued to look like a potential superstar this spring. Oblique injuries can recur and linger if not fully healed, so it will be in the Phillies’ best interest to give him as much time as he needs to heal.
In terms of its effects on other players, the opening day shortstop job at Reading will likely be between Edgar Duran and Casey Serna like it was to end last year. Neither has more than a utility profile at the majors league level. It does reduce the appeal of the Reading lineup, but with a stacked rotation and possibly Kelly Dugan, Aaron Altherr, and Roman Quinn, it is still a very interesting team. In Clearwater the shortstop job should go to one of Malquin Canelo, Drew Stankiewicz, or Emmanuel Marrero. The other candidates will likely fill in at SS in Lakewood as well as 2B in Lakewood.
Hollands likely needs surgery:
As expected Mario Hollands likely will need surgery on his elbow, which likely puts him out for the year. This makes Andy Oliver a lock for the bullpen and lines Elvis Aruajo up as the first lefty reliever call up. Since Hollands was injured in major league camp, he will go on the 60 day DL and free up a 40 man roster spot, likely for the winner of what looks like a long reliever competition between Jeanmar Gomez, Kevin Slowey, and Paul Clemens.