Giants' Reggie Crawford: Undergoes shoulder surgery
Rotowire
Crawford underwent surgery Thursday to repair the labrum in his left shoulder, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.
The rehab is expected to take 10-to-12 months. Crawford has been limited to just 37.1 career minor-league innings since being taken in the first round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft due to Tommy John surgery, a lat injury and now shoulder surgery. The lefty was moved to a relief role in 2024 and pitched well when on the mound with a 2.95 ERA and 30:12 K:BB over 18.1 frames between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, but he's now unlikely to pitch in a game again until 2026.
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Giants' Reggie Crawford: Sidelined at Triple-A
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Triple-A Sacramento placed Crawford on its 7-day injured list June 13 with general fatigue in his left arm, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports.
Crawford, the 30th overall pick in 2022, had Tommy John surgery in October 2021 and suffered a lat strain this past offseason, so injuries have been a big part of his story. The former two-way player transitioned to a relief role this season but has been limited to 37.1 career innings. Crawford is a hard-throwing lefty with a clear future in a high-leverage role if injuries don't derail him.
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Giants' Reggie Crawford: Rises to Triple-A
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Crawford was promoted from Double-A Richmond to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday.
Crawford worked primarily as a reliever with Richmond, posting a 19:5 K:BB with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 9.2 innings across seven appearances (one start). Crawford is now exclusively focused on pitching after being drafted as a two-way player, and it appears he'll be profiling as a reliever moving forward.
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Giants' Reggie Crawford: Looks sharp in Double-A debut
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Crawford (lat) struck out one and worked around a walk over a scoreless inning in his season debut Tuesday in Double-A Richmond's 3-2 loss to Harrisburg.
Crawford was held back at extended spring training for the start of the minor-league season while he continued his recovery from a left lat strain, but he missed just over two weeks of action before he was cleared to report to an affiliate. Even though Crawford had covered just eight innings at High-A Eugene to close out the 2023 season, the Giants aggressively pushed the 23-year-old lefty to Richmond, where he's likely to spend most of the 2024 campaign. Though the Giants have pulled the plug on having Crawford develop as a two-way player, turning his focus to pitching on a full-time basis could accelerate his climb to the big leagues. Crawford has started in each of his 14 career minor-league appearances, but he's logged just 20 total innings and looks as though he could be deployed in relief whenever he ultimately reaches the majors.
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Giants' Reggie Crawford: Out with lat strain
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The Giants announced Wednesday that Crawford is recovering from a lat strain and won't throw for the next 3-to-4 weeks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Crawford had been developed as a two-way player for his first two professional seasons after being selected in the first round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, but he'll be making a full-time move to pitching in 2024. However, given that he's not expected to begin throwing until around the middle of March, Crawford may face an uphill battle to gain clearance for the start of the minor-league season in early April. Once healthy, the 23-year-old will likely open the campaign at High-A Eugene, with whom he posted a 1.13 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB in eight innings last season following his July promotion from Single-A San Jose.
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Giants' Reggie Crawford: Keeping focus on pitching
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Crawford is no longer being viewed as a two-way player and reported to spring training with the focus on being a full-time pitcher, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The 23-year-old slashed .194/.250/.333 in 24 games as a hitter across his first two professional seasons in the lower minors, so his decision to abandon the two-way path doesn't come as a major surprise. Crawford found much more success on the mound in 2023, accruing a 2.84 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB over 19 innings between Single-A San Jose and High-A Eugene. The Giants believe that by focusing exclusively on pitching, Crawford will be able to ascend through their farm system quicker.
Crawford has a 1.13 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and a 14:6 K:BB in eight innings across six appearances since getting promoted to High-A Eugene on July 14.
In theory, the Giants may still be developing Crawford as a two-way player, but he only has one plate appearance (a strikeout) at High-A after getting 18 plate appearances while with Single-A San Jose earlier this season. It seems likely that his future will be on the mound, where the 22-year-old has an electric power arsenal from the left side, although the Giants have been very careful with his workload this year. He has huge raw power, but Crawford will struggle to develop a strong enough hit tool, especially while also working on his craft as a pitcher.
Giants' Reggie Crawford: Cleared for Single-A games
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Crawford (elbow/illness) reported Tuesday to Single-A San Jose, Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Crawford required Tommy John surgery in October 2021, while he was still in college, and then had to slow his rehab this spring after being diagnosed with mononucleosis. The 22-year-old is fully healthy now and ready to show that he can be a two-way player for the Giants. They mostly believe in his long-term promise as a pitcher, but it sounds like he is also going to get chances at first base and designated hitter as he makes his way through the lower minors.
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Giants' Reggie Crawford: Slowed by mono
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Crawford will be delayed out of the gate this year after being slowed in camp by a bout with mono, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
Per the report, he has looked very good in bullpen sessions this spring and already showed the arm strength that led the Giants to select him with the 30th overall pick in last year's draft. The team hasn't decided whether or not he will be sent out as a two-way player, but director of player development Kyle Haines reiterated that Crawford's arm is what got him selected so high. Given that Crawford, a 6-foot-4 southpaw with an upper-90s fastball, had Tommy John surgery in October of 2021, he wouldn't have pushed for a full season's worth of innings this year even if he had avoided mono.
