J.P. Crawford leaves Mariners to have shoulder examined by specialist

PEORIA, Ariz. — When media members walked into the interview room for Mariners manager Dan Wilson’s normal morning session at 8 a.m. Tuesday, general manager Justin Hollander was sitting at the table instead.

For the past few seasons, Hollander has provided almost biweekly injury updates for players in the organization.

Would this be about starting pitcher Bryce Miller, shortstop J.P. Crawford or someone new?

“This is basically a non-update update,” he said. “This is the briefest of briefest non-update updates. I know Dan had said we would get you an update on J.P. today. He is visiting with Meister today just to make sure we’re on the right track.”

Hollander was referring to Dr. Keith Meister, an orthopedic surgeon based in Dallas-Fort Worth who specializes in arm and elbow issues. He’s become the leading expert in that area of treatment and surgery.

“Obviously, it’s the second time his shoulder has flared up, so he’s visiting with him this morning,” Hollander said. “We will get you an actual update either later today or more likely tomorrow (Wednesday), when J.P. is back.

“I think we all agree with what the imaging shows, which is nothing serious, and I think J.P., Dr. Meister and everyone involved just wanted to get peace of mind to make sure that we were treating this appropriately.”

Asked what his concern level is for the situation, Hollander replied:

“Not high. My concern level is that we do the right thing now, so he’s not battling every couple of weeks feeling uncomfortable. But I don’t have concerns that we’re headed towards, like, a surgical option or something like that. No one thinks that’s the case right now. We want to make sure we’re getting them going in the right direction, and it’s not something that lingers.”

With the season starting March 26, it’s possible that Crawford won’t be ready to play. He could be forced to the injured list to give him time to build back up. He has played in only seven Cactus League games this spring with just three starts at shortstop (Feb. 20, March 9, March 11).

Fans might assume that top prospect Colt Emerson would make his MLB debut as the Mariners’ starting shortstop if Crawford is placed on the injured list. But there is a strong chance the Mariners would go with utility infielder Leo Rivas to handle the shortstop duties in the interim, particularly if a Crawford IL stint is expected to be short. Rivas is considered among the best defensive infielders in the organization, and the Mariners trust him to handle the duties in the field and at the plate.

Emerson has been solid defensively this spring, but he got off to a slow start at the plate. He had five hits in his first 29 plate appearances with four RBI, two walks and seven strikeouts. It would also be a huge jump for the 20-year-old Emerson, who started last season with High-A Everett and played in 34 games with Double-A Arkansas and six games with Triple-A Tacoma.

The Mariners don’t want to rush him to the big leagues and hurt his development. With a deeper roster and better overall lineup, they also don’t need to do rush him to the big leagues.

“Until we hear exactly what the situation was J.P., it’s hard to kind of weigh those options,” Wilson said. “So we’ll wait and see, and then we’ll begin to decipher where we need to go.”

Emerson has handled the expectations and fanfare of being a highly regarded prospect with grace.

“He’s gone out, and he’s played very good defense throughout the entire spring,” Wilson said. “He had a little bit of a lull offensively. But of late, the last three or four games, he has really swung the bat well.”