Mariners’ J.P. Crawford exits after Framber Valdez hits him

J.P. Crawford exited the Seattle Mariners’ series opener Friday after being hit on the right hand by a 96 mph sinker from Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez in the top of the third inning.

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Crawford was clearly in pain after being hit, and while he stayed in the game to run the bases, he was replaced when the Mariners went back on the field for defense in the bottom of the inning.

X-rays of Crawford’s hand were negative and he is day-to-day, Mariners manager Dan Wilson said after the game, which Seattle lost 7-3. Wilson said the Mariners will assess Crawford’s availability Saturday morning ahead of the 10:10 a.m. first pitch for Game 2 of the series.

The hand injury wasn’t even the first time in Friday’s game where Crawford was banged up. He limped a bit back to the dugout after a sliding feet-first to score in the first inning on a single by Rob Refsnyder, colliding a bit with Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler.

First-inning lead. #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/46HtOiu2F4

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 5, 2026

Crawford, who led off the game with single, has been streaking at the plate lately. In the 10 games prior to Friday, he posted a .317/.383/.634 slash line for a 1.017 OPS with four home runs and a double. While he’s hitting just .228 on the season, he still has a strong .356 on-base percentage and .765 OPS. He also has 10 homers in 55 games, putting him on pace to break his single-season career high of 19.

The Mariners shifted rookie Colt Emerson from third base to shortstop to take over for Crawford, with Patrick Wisdom entering the game to play third and hit in Crawford’s leadoff spot.

The hit by pitch Crawford sustained came on a 3-2 count, which almost certainly rules out intention by Valdez. But the veteran left-hander has a reputation for taking out his frustrations by purposefully hitting players – sometimes opposing batters, and in at least one occasion even his own catcher.

The Mariners know this all too well, as Valdez was a longtime pitcher for their chief rivals, the Houston Astros, and even cleared the benches in Houston when Valdez hit a Mariners batter right after giving up a home run in 2023.

Valdez served a suspension earlier this season after hitting Boston’s Trevor Story.

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