The Phillies activated J.P. Crawford from the 10-day DL Wednesday, optioning Mitch Walding to Triple A to make room.
It will be interesting to see how often Crawford starts over the next couple weeks. He did not play well in 21 games before his forearm injury, batting .188 with five extra-base hits and four walks in 71 plate appearances.
His defense was spotty as well. Crawford committed five errors, all on throws. Scott Kingery has been playing shortstop everyday with Crawford out and he's committed just one error in 246 chances.
An error total does not paint a complete picture, but Crawford will have to show more consistency in the field to stick, unless his bat heats up. Kingery, meanwhile, has gotten better and better defensively at the infield's most important position.
Kingery has not been much of an offensive threat lately either, though. He's hitting .215/.260/.323 and has gone 160 plate appearances without a homer.
The Phillies just haven't gotten enough out of the shortstop position this season. Phils shortstops rank 27th in the majors in batting average (.225) and on-base percentage (.276).
As long as that remains the case, Manny Machado's name will be brought up in this city on a daily basis.
