Seattle Mariners' shortstop J.P. Crawford's availability for Opening Day is up in the air as he continues to battle an issue with his throwing shoulder.

Crawford has played only three games at shortstop this spring and went to visit orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday.

As noted by manager Dan Wilson (via Ryan Divish), Crawford had an injection in his shoulder.

JP Crawford had an injection in his shoulder and will be down a few days. Dan Wilson wasn’t certain whether he’d be ready for opening day.

The Mariners open play on March 26 at home against the Cleveland Guardians. 

Now 31 years old, Crawford is the longest-tenured Mariner on the roster. Acquired before the 2019 season, the M's picked him up in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. A foundational figure in the organizational turnaround since then, Crawford won a Gold Glove Award in 2020 and serves as one of the biggest leaders in the clubhouse.

A career .248 hitter, he hit .265 in 2025, popping 12 homers and driving in 58 runs. Known for his plate discipline, he had a .352 on-base percentage and an OPS+ of 111.

He's in the final year of his contract and it's unclear if he has a future in Seattle beyond this season.

As we discussed on Tuesday, the Mariners could go with top prospect Colt Emerson at shortstop, but that seems unlikely for a variety of reasons. First off, Emerson has played just 40 games above High-A and could use additional seasoning in the minor leagues. Second off, Crawford isn't expected to miss much time, if any, and the organization doesn't need to open the can of worms that would come if they wanted to send Emerson back down quickly.

More likely is that the Mariners utilize Leo Rivas as the temporary starting shortstop. If he's in that position, then that opens the door for Miles Mastrobuoni or Ryan Bliss to have the depth infielder role. Mastrobuoni is currently battling a calf issue though and his own health is a question at this point.

--The World Baseball Classic ended on Tuesday with Team Venezuela beating Team USA 3-2. It was the first WBC title for Venezuela, while the Americans last won in 2017. The conclusion of the tournament means that all remaining participating Mariners will head back to Peoria.

Cal Raleigh and Gabe Speier were playing for Team USA while Eduard Bazardo and Jhonathan Diaz were playing for Venezuela. Bazardo threw 0.2 socreless innings in the title game. None of the other Mariners played in the game.

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