Phillies rookie Justin Crawford will be on the bench when Philadelphia face the Nationals. The decision was part of a planned strategy by manager Rob Thomson.
Crawford’s Reprieve From Left-Handed Starters
Thomson said the strategy is “just to give him a little reprieve from all these left-handed starters”. Crawford, the 22-year-old left-handed-hitting center fielder, started Sunday’s series finale against Rangers lefty Mackenzie Gore. In that game, he recorded the Phillies’ first hit with an infield single.
Thomson inserted Dylan Moore to hit in place of Crawford against left-handed reliever Robert Garcia in the ninth inning of the 8-3 Phillies loss.
Righty Platoon Preference
With Foster Griffin on the mound for the Nationals, the Phillies will keep their righty platoon bats on the field. Otto Kemp will be in left field and Edmundo Sosa at second base.
J.T. Realmuto will rest for a game in favour of backup Rafael Marchán, and Brandon Marsh will play over Crawford in center field, despite Crawford hitting .376 versus lefties in Triple-A last season.
Marsh plays a better left field than center. He batted just .197 against left-handers in 2025, and has three strikeouts in three plate appearances versus lefties so far this season. However, he has three hits and two doubles in nine at-bats to start the year.
“I always have confidence in him, to tell you the truth,” Thomson said of Marsh. “Like any lefty, he’ll go through ebbs and flows over a season, whether it’s facing a left-handed pitcher, a right-handed pitcher or any pitcher. I always have confidence in him, but he’s had good at-bats. Ever since the start of May last year, he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball. So we’ll give him a shot.”
From May 1 until the end of last season, Marsh had an .836 OPS, third best on the Phillies in that span (minimum 350 plate appearances). Still, he had just a .599 OPS against lefties in that five-month stretch.
It seems clear that Marsh is not a viable offensive option against left-handed pitching. He’s a valuable strong-side platoon contributor, but he’s overextended in left-on-left matchups. The Phillies would benefit from hiding him against lefty starters whenever possible.
Crawford’s Expected Return
The Nationals have not announced a starter for Tuesday’s game, and right-hander Cade Cavalli will take the hill for the series finale on Wednesday. Crawford said he expects to be back in the lineup on Tuesday, and Marsh will likely be beside him in left field.