Justin Crawford Makes Phillies' Opening Day Roster, Carl Crawford's Son Is Top 100 MLB Prospect

Justin Crawford, son of four-time MLB All-Star Carl Crawford, will make his MLB debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

The Phillies finalized their 26-man roster on Wednesday, with Crawford one of four outfielders on the squad.

Crawford will be in the lineup as the starting center fielder for Philadelphia against the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

"I feel ready," Crawford told reporters earlier this week. "I'm ready to go."

The 22-year-old Crawford was the Phillies' first-round pick in the 2022 MLB draft. He is ranked as the No. 53 overall prospect entering this season, per MLB.com.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson had high praise for Crawford's ability to man the outfield early in spring training.

Crawford spent all of 2025 in Triple-A with Lehigh Valley, hitting .334/.411/.452 with seven homers and 46 stolen bases in 112 games. His best attributes are his speed and bat-to-ball skills, as evidenced by his 268 strikeouts in 1,304 career minor league at-bats.

The Phillies used Brandon Marsh as their primary centerfielder in 2025, but he finished 16th in defensive runs saved out of 24 players with at least 600 innings at the position.

Marsh will be able to shift over to left field with Nick Castellanos no longer on the Phillies. Crawford's natural instincts for center field should lead to improved defense for a Philadelphia team looking to once again challenge for a World Series in the NL.

Crawford will be the Phillies' youngest starting centerfielder on Opening Day since Mike Anderson in 1972.

The Phillies will host the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in the opener for both teams on Thursday at 4:15 p.m. ET.