Giants prospect Reggie Crawford has undergone shoulder surgical procedure. “Won’t ever be crushed,” Crawford mentioned in a submit on X together with an image of himself recovering from the process. “Thanks to Dr. ElAttrache for caring for the shoulder. I will probably be again quickly [emoji of hands making a heart shape]” The membership later introduced to members of the beat, together with Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic (X hyperlink), that the labrum surgical procedure comes with an estimated restoration timeline of 10 to 12 months. He’ll subsequently miss most or maybe the entire 2025 season.
Crawford, now 23, was chosen by the Giants with the thirtieth total choose within the 2022 draft. A two-way participant in faculty, the Giants let him each pitch and hit final yr, although his workload was restricted. He had undergone Tommy John surgical procedure late in 2021 and didn’t pitch in any respect in 2022, then handled varied different illnesses throughout the 2023 season together with mononucleosis and a strained indirect. He tossed 19 innings on the yr and made 19 plate appearances, splitting his time between Single-A and Excessive-A. He went to the Arizona Fall League however didn’t pitch, hitting .138/.282/.276 in his 71 plate appearances there.
The Giants determined to have him focus solely on pitching in 2024. He hadn’t hit a lot in a small pattern of labor since being drafted however he had impressed along with his stuff from the mound. His fastball is within the triple-digit vary whereas each Baseball America and FanGraphs praised his curveball earlier this yr.
Crawford tossed 18 1/3 innings this yr, cut up between Double-A and Triple-A. He allowed 2.95 earned runs per 9 whereas hanging out 38.5% of batters confronted. His 15.4% stroll price was fairly excessive, maybe unsurprising for a man with a lot missed time.
However his final look was in June and he’s now slated for one more prolonged absence. Crawford is clearly proficient however the quite a few bumps within the street are lower than a really perfect for a pitcher who remains to be creating and harnessing his stuff. At this level, between faculty and the minors, he’s solely thrown 53 2/3 of official gameplay.
He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft after sitting out the bulk, or maybe the whole lot, of the 2025 marketing campaign. Given his expertise and standing as a key prospect within the group, the Giants will probably nonetheless defend him by giving him a roster spot. Nonetheless, it is a notable improvement for Crawford and the membership. Getting one of the best model of Crawford was already going to be a challenge for the Giants and now he’s going to be on ice for near a yr, placing his improvement on pause.