Phillies prospect Justin Crawford (quad) to return to lineup at Triple-A

PHILADELPHIA — One of the top hitting prospects in the Phillies organization will return to the lineup after a seven-game absence.

Former first rounder Justin Crawford will play for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, big-league manager Rob Thomson announced. The outfielder last played on June 5 when he exited the IronPigs’ game early with a mild right quad injury, but he’ll be back as the club hosts Worcester in the fifth of a six-game set at Coca-Cola Park.

The 17th pick in the 2022 draft, Crawford had been participating in activities before games this week, and Thomson said Friday that he’d run the bases. Clearly, that checked out well enough for him to return to action a day later.

Crawford, 21, is batting .349/.416/.448 with 23 stolen bases in 52 games at Triple-A. Although he’s only hit one home run this season, the left-handed hitter has been productive at the top of the order for an IronPigs team with the best record in the International League at 45-22. Crawford was on fire before his injury, batting .406 in his 27 games since the start of May.