Mariners Put J.P. Crawford on the IL and Turn to Ryan Bliss at Crucial Time

Somehow, for the second season in a row, the Seattle Mariners are limping into a series against the Baltimore Orioles with injury drama hanging over them. Last year, it was the pitching staff that started to crack, with Victor Robles also sitting on the injured list. This time, it’s J.P. Crawford joining the list of key Mariners out of action with Brendan Donovan and Cal Raleigh still in different stages of getting back to full strength.

The Mariners placed J.P. Crawford on the 10-day injured list with a right hand contusion, three days after being drilled in the hand by the Mariners nemesis, Framber Valdez. The X-rays came back negative, which was the first bit of good news. But Crawford still isn’t ready, so Seattle had to make a move.

In Crawford’s place, Seattle recalled infielder Ryan Bliss from Triple-A Tacoma. Bliss is one of those players Mariners fans have talked themselves into before, and honestly, there was a reason for it.

When healthy, Bliss has always brought a spark to the roster. He’s a speed threat on the bases. He can cover the keystone well and he gives the roster another right-handed infield option. He plays with a tempo that commands attention even when he’s not considered to be the main story.

Roster moves:

🔹 Ryan Bliss, INF, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
🔹 J.P. Crawford, INF, placed on 10-day IL (right hand contusion, retro 6/6).

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Mariners’ Infield Depth Is Suddenly Under Real Pressure Again

Before the injury, Crawford had been in the midst of a real power surge. He entered this stretch with 10 home runs, 23 RBI and a .228/.356/.409 slash line with a 121 OPS+. So, losing him hurts.

It especially hurts because the Mariners have spent so much time trying to get whole. This roster has already had too many weeks where the conversation has been about who’s unavailable. So this is where Bliss comes in.

Last time we checked in on Bliss, he was off to a rough start with the Rainiers. Back on May 20, he was slashing .184/.244/.255 with no home runs and 40 strikeouts in 141 at-bats. Since then, the numbers have improved, but just marginally. He raised his batting average to .204 and added a home run. But the swing-and-miss is still alive and very much part of the profile with 60 strikeouts in 211 at-bats. Even the speed has not popped quite the way you’d expect, with only nine stolen bases so far this season.

That part is a little concerning for a player whose athleticism is supposed to be part of the appeal. But this move still makes sense for the Mariners. They need experienced infield coverage, Bliss has been in this spot before, and he has already shown he can give the big-league club useful stretches when healthy.

The bigger question is how Seattle handles the actual alignment.

Colt Emerson can slide over to shortstop. That’s probably the cleanest answer if the Mariners want to keep things simple. Bliss could then factor in at second base when needed, giving Seattle a right-handed bat and some athleticism without asking him to do too much. The more complicated version could involve Cole Young getting the occasional look at shortstop, Emerson shuffling between shortstop and third base, and Seattle mixing the pieces depending on matchups. Though, that shouldn’t be expected to happen much, if even at all.

Bliss softens the blow, and that is worth saying. He’s a fun call-up and player fans have wanted to see healthy and in rhythm again. There’s a version of this where he takes the opportunity, gives Seattle useful at-bats, steals a few bags, plays clean defense and reminds everyone why he was intriguing in the first place.

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