Dodgers’ Carl Crawford injured in minor league game

He wasn’t going to make the trip for Opening Day anyways, but he wasn’t expected to be out for any significant length of time. He was going to be with his fiancee as she gave birth to their child, and then he was going to be ready to go once things got in full swing when the team got back from Australia.

Now there may be a completely separate issue with Carl Crawford. Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register was at the minor league game in Arizona, a game in which Crawford was playing since he and a number of other Dodgers were not making the trip to Australia. It took Crawford one at-bat.

"Dodgers left fielder Carl Crawford was carted from a back field at Camelback Ranch with an apparent shoulder injury after one at-bat in a minor-league game Tuesday. …Several people who saw him carted away said he was holding his right shoulder as he was taken from the field…After playing in the field in the top half of the second, he came out of the game and was soon carted off."

Replacing Crawford in Australia is Scott van Slyke, who saw plenty of time as he rotated among the outfield positions that belonged to the oft-injured Dodger outfielders. Scott may end up seeing more time at the beginning of the season that he originally thought.