Mariners shuffle infield: J.P. Crawford moves to 3B, Colt Emerson takes over at SS

For the first time since putting on a Mariners uniform in 2019, J.P. Crawford will start a game in the field at a position other than shortstop.

While it was a move that was anticipated based on Crawford's own comments about a position switch and his pregame work during his recent injured-list stint, manager Dan Wilson casually mentioned pregame that Crawford would be starting at third base in his pregame meeting before Tuesday night's homestand opener vs. the Orioles.

He'll have a little bit of a different look at third base, but he's been taking a lot of ground balls there, and I think feels like he's in a good spot to make the adjustment to third base," Wilson said. "We'll see how it goes. I look forward to seeing him there."

Crawford is the Mariners' all-time leader in games started (902) and games played (906) at shortstop, earning a Gold Glove in 2020. But when top prospect Colt Emerson was called up on May 17, Crawford, who has played 7,928 1/3 innings at shortstop for the Mariners, went to Wilson and said he'd be willing to move to third for the good of the team. It also helped build his own playing résumé with free agency looming after the season.

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The Mariners didn't immediately implement the switch, waiting for Emerson to get comfortable in the big leagues while playing third base. But when Crawford was struck on the right hand during the opener of the previous 10-game road trip, the Mariners moved Emerson to shortstop - his natural position. Emerson excelled at shortstop, offering fans a glimpse of their everyday shortstop for the next eight-plus years.

With the swelling in the hand being significant enough to force the Mariners to put to the 10-day injured list and seeing Emerson's success, Crawford started focusing on being ready to play third base when he was eligible to return from the injured list.

As a rookie with the Phillies, Crawford played in a combined 26 games (20 starts) at third base over parts of the 2017 and 2018 season. His last MLB game at third base was Sept. 18, 2018, with the Phillies.

"It's going to be a big adjustment in a lot of ways, but he's put a lot of work into it and he's worked with Bone (Perry Hill) quite a bit on what to expect down there, and what might come up in a ballgame and how things are different," Wilson said. "He's done some drill work to kind of replicate as much as you can in a game what it's going to look like, but obviously you can't cover everything. There may be things that pop up, but I think J.P. is as prepared as he can be, and credit to him and Bone for putting in that work.

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 4:50 PM.