‘I feel like a baseball player again.’ J.P. Crawford begins rehab with Tacoma
“Just excited to be back out here,” Crawford said. “Can’t wait to rejoin the team and help them keep winning.”
The pregame hip-hop music echoing throughout Cheney Stadium sounded all too familiar. Ja Rule’s “Livin’ It Up” was the obvious giveaway — followed by Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and a handful of tracks regularly heard in T-Mobile Park’s clubhouse after every Mariners win. Of course, shortstop J.
P. Crawford took the aux. “I’ve been the DJ for a few years now,” Crawford smiled.
He won’t be here long, but Seattle’s unofficial captain is playing in Tacoma. The Mariners placed Crawford on the 10-day injured list (right shoulder inflammation) ahead of Opening Day, and he’ll begin a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Rainiers for their home opener on Tuesday night. The 31-year-old looked like himself in warmups, completing a handful of smooth plays at shortstop and launching a homer over Cheney’s right-field wall on his last swing of batting practice.
“It feels good to be back,” he told The News Tribune. “I feel like a baseball player again. Really excited.