Justin Crawford has the potential to make an immediate impact in the Philadelphia Phillies' 2026 lineup.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ lineup is loaded with All-Stars, MVP candidates, and future Hall-of-Famers. Still, even a lineup of this star power needs a strong supporting cast and players to step up and fill voids to win a championship.
There’s one player in particular who is lined up for a significant role on the Phillies' big-league roster this season, and that's their No. 3-ranked prospect, Justin Crawford.
The Phillies knew the outfield would be a focus heading into the offseason. The front office has already addressed some of its holes by signing Adolis Garcia to a one-year deal to be the everyday right-fielder. But now, Harrison Bader’s return seems unlikely, and a split between Nick Castellanos and Philadelphia could be coming, too.
Not only are the Phillies looking to match the production of Bader and Castellanos’ potential absence, but they also simply need to add depth to the position group to fill innings, too.
That leaves Crawford with a path to immediate playing time with the Phillies, starting possibly on Opening Day. Dave Dombrowski even recently said during Garcia’s introductory media availability that the team is counting on Crawford’s ability to play both center and left field.
Finally, it looks like the 21 will get to show what he can do at the MLB level.
Whenever a player gets called up to the big leagues, there’s always a question of whether or not they’re ready. In Crawford’s case, it certainly looks like he’s primed to make an impact in the lineup and in the outfield on defense.
Crawford spent the entire 2025 minor league season at Triple-A and did nothing but hit. The left-hander finished the season with a .334/.411/.452 slash line, a .863 OPS, including 23 doubles and seven home runs.
The Phillies prospect has also had solid plate discipline in the minors, logging a strikeout rate of 18 percent and a walk rate of 11.5 percent.
A lot can still happen between now and Opening Day, but if this is the roster the Phillies enter the 2026 season with, Crawford is in a position to help the team right away.