The Phillies got another really tough break on Tuesday night.  Shortstop J.P. Crawford departed the game after being hit by a pitch thrown by Cardinals starter Luke Weaver in the fourth inning.  Crawford was immediately replaced at third base by Maikel Franco and left to get x-rays.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, the x-rays came back positive and after the game Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said in his postgame comments that Crawford should miss four to six weeks.

The Phillies will miss Crawford's bat, which has shown improvement in recent weeks.  The last time the Phillies needed an infielder they turned to Mitch Walding, primarily a third baseman.  Walding is on the 40-man roster and can be recalled.  Walding struck out in all six major league plate appearances he had before being optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The move means that third baseman Maikel Franco will get another opportunity to show he belongs at third base.  The Phillies appeared to be moving on from Franco as their starting third baseman, playing Crawford at short and Scott Kingery at shortstop.  But this injury can give Franco a chance to step up and reclaim some playing time.

Meanwhile, outfielder Nick Williams, who was hit in the nose by a ball that ricocheted off of the right field wall on Monday night, is undergoing concussion protocol, Kapler also noted after the game. Williams suffered a broken nose and as of prior to the game, Williams was not believed to have a concussion.

 

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