Phillies

Dave Dombrowski Announces 2026 Plan for Justin Crawford

By Luke Arcaini

Published: Dec 16th, 2025 · 2:04 PM EST

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Dave Dombrowski all but confirmed on Tuesday his starting outfield for Opening Day 2026 vs. the Texas Rangers.

Brandon Marsh in left field, Justin Crawford in center, and newest acquisition Adolis Garcia in right field.

Dave Dombrowski said they like where their outfield is at. Confirmed they’re going to give Justin Crawford the chance to play “a lot.”

Mentioned Gabriel Rincones Jr. as a name that will be in the mix as well, along with Otto Kemp.

— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) December 16, 2025

Justin Crawford is the 3rd-ranked prospect in the Phillies organization, according to MLB Pipeline, trailing just Andrew Painter and Aidan Miller. A lot of people believed the Phillies should’ve given Crawford a chance to play on the major league roster in 2025, but the Phillies were determined to not bring him up until they had an everyday opportunity for the young outfielder.

Now, he’ll have that chance.

Crawford, 21, slashed .334/.411/.452 with an .863 OPS last year, swiping 47 bags and logging 147 hits. He’s an awesome, multi-tool, young prospect that teams get excited about. Crawford played a lot of left field in 2025 and the belief and understanding over the last few months was that Crawford would potentially play there in 2026 for the Phillies, but Dombrowski all but confirmed to reporters during Tuesday’s press availability that they’re going to give him a run in center during Spring Training:

“Well, we think so…we’d like to have that happen (Crawford in CF). I think if you talk to some people in the organization, there are some people that think he may be a little better in left than center, but also still being able to play centerfield; and play it well, he’s got great speed. That’s our first objective, and we think he can do it.”

Dombrowski highlighted multiple players when talking about the 2026 outfield. Crawford and Brandon Marsh “can play center or left.” He noted Johan Rojas as a backup option in centerfield. Adolis Garcia will be the right fielder. Gabriel Rincones Jr, a left-handed slugging outfielder, will also be in the mix to earn a job.

One name that I haven’t mentioned yet is Nick Castellanos, who will almost certainly not be a Phillie in 2026. The team is weighing their options, and a trade or release will come in the future. Castellanos was not mentioned in any plans from Dave Dombrowski, even though he’s still on the roster.