The shoulder situation for Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford is getting more worrisome with Opening Day just nine days away.

The M's longtime leader has been battling through shoulder soreness this spring. His playing time has been sporadic and he's played designated hitter most of the games that he has played.

Initially, the concern level was low and his limited playing time was thought to just be a case of a veteran playing the spring smartly.

But based on new reporting from Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, the situation is getting a little hairier. 

JP Crawford is in the metroplex visiting Dr. Keith Meister to have his shoulder checked. Imaging was clean but the Ms want to make sure they are treating it properly.

Certainly the fact that imaging was clean is a good thing, but any visit to Dr. Meister, one of the top orthopedists in the country, is noteworthy.

Divish also got a comment from general manager Justin Hollander on his concern level:

“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 him going in the right direction, and it's not something that lingers.”

Based on those comments, it seems possible that Crawford could start the season on the injured list, though that is not a certainty at this point.

Let's take a look at what the effects this could be.

The Mariners' top prospect and the No. 9 prospect in the sport via MLB Pipeline, Emerson is knocking on the door of a big-league promotion. Still just 20 years old, he hit .285 across High-A, Double-A and Triple-A last season, continuing to show more and more power (16 homers).

He plays a solid defensive shortstop, but the team could still prefer him to get more seasoning in the minor leagues. He's played just 40 official games above High-A.

It should be noted that if Emerson comes up early in the season and wins Rookie of the Year, the Mariners will be eligible for an extra first-round pick, which is notable considering they just traded a Comp B pick in the Brendan Donovan deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

A solid defender and a switch-hitter, Rivas makes sense in a fill-in role. Projected to be the team's depth infielder, he could slide in to the starting role while allowing Emerson to grow at Triple-A. Furthermore, this could get Miles Mastrobuoni on the Opening Day roster, and since he's out of minor league options, it would allow them to keep him in the organization. However, he's dealing with a minor calf injury himself. If he's unable to be ready for Opening Day, perhaps Ryan Bliss is an option.

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