Two roster developments highlighted Monday in Major League Baseball, with the Seattle Mariners losing a key infielder to injury while the Los Angeles Angels celebrated the return of a veteran slugger making his first big league appearance in nearly three years.
Mariners Sideline J.P. Crawford With Hand Injury
The Seattle Mariners placed shortstop J.P. Crawford on the 10-day injured list due to a right hand contusion ahead of their series opener against the Baltimore Orioles.
To fill the vacancy, Seattle recalled infielder Ryan Bliss from Triple-A Tacoma.
Crawford suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch from Detroit starter Framber Valdez during the third inning of Friday’s game. The veteran shortstop missed the final two contests of the series against Detroit, and the injured-list designation was made retroactive to Saturday.
The 31-year-old has appeared in 55 games this season, batting .228 with 23 RBIs. His 10 home runs already rank as the third-highest total of his career.
Seattle manager Dan Wilson acknowledged that the organization remains uncertain about Crawford’s recovery timeline. The shortstop will continue traveling with the club and receive treatment throughout the team’s upcoming road trip, which concludes in Washington later this week.
“He’s doing OK,” Wilson said. “Just coming a little bit slower than we thought, so we think it’s probably the smart thing to do at this point. It’ll be retroactive, so hopefully we’re getting him back as soon as possible. (There’s) still quite a bit of pain.”
Meanwhile, Bliss returns to the major league roster after opening the season with Seattle before being sent down. He appeared in one game for the Mariners and has spent most of the year with Tacoma, where he hit .204 with one home run and 15 RBIs in 51 games.
Trey Mancini Makes Long-Awaited Return
In Anaheim, veteran first baseman Trey Mancini marked his return to the majors with an impressive performance despite the Angels’ 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Houston Astros.
Playing in his first major league game since 2023, Mancini collected three hits and drove in a run.
He wasted little time making an impact, delivering a run-scoring single in the second inning during his first at-bat. He followed with another single to open the fourth inning and added a third base hit in the eighth.
Angels Turn To Veteran Amid Injury Concerns
The Angels selected Mancini’s contract and inserted him directly into the starting lineup after placing infielders Vaughn Grissom and Adam Frazier on the 10-day injured list.
Mancini, 34, signed a minor league deal with Los Angeles in February that included an invitation to spring training. He earned another opportunity after producing solid numbers for Triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit .273 with six home runs, 29 RBIs and three stolen bases.
Over parts of seven major league seasons, Mancini owns a .263 batting average with 129 home runs and 400 RBIs. He spent the majority of his career with the Orioles and reached a personal best with 29 home runs in 2019.
Cancer Survivor Continues Remarkable Baseball Journey
One of baseball’s most inspiring comeback stories continued Monday night.
Mancini missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. He returned successfully in 2021 and later earned a World Series ring in 2022 after Baltimore traded him to Houston.
Since his last major league stint with the Chicago Cubs in 2023, Mancini has spent time in the minor league systems of the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Last July, he opted out of a minor league agreement with Arizona after batting .308 with 16 home runs for Triple-A Reno.
Additional Angels Roster Moves
The Angels made several other roster adjustments alongside Mancini’s promotion.
Grissom’s injured-list move was made retroactive to Friday, while Frazier’s designation was retroactive to Saturday. The club also recalled infielder Denzer Guzman from Salt Lake and transferred infielder Yoán Moncada to the 60-day injured list.
