By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
It seems more and more likely that we will have to wait to see Philadelphia Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford at Citizens Bank Park. With September getting closer by the day, fans of the Phillies are looking forward to seeing some more of the organizations' top young talent when rosters expand. While there are a few players that are more likely to get the call to Philadelphia than others, a recent injury paired with a slump at the plate makes a Crawford appearance in Philadelphia unlikely.
Crawford has not played with Triple-A Lehigh Valley since August 9 due to an oblique injury that has been giving him issues. On Sunday, he missed his fifth straight game.
SS J.P. Crawford (oblique) out a 5th consecutive game for @IronPigs. LHP Patrick Schuster added to roster after being claimed off waivers.
— Tom Housenick (@TomHousenick) August 14, 2016
Housenick, senior writer for the Allentown Morning Call, said that if all goes well, he could be back as soon as Thursday when the Ironpigs travel to Syracuse. There haven't been too many news outlets reporting the injury, which makes it seem like it isn't extremely serious, but oblique injuries have a large range of recovery time depending on the severity. Cody Asche missed the first half of the season because of an oblique injury this season and Darin Ruf missed six weeks in 2015 with one.
In addition to being hurt, Crawford has not been hitting very well, which is another reason we are unlikely to see him in red pinstripes come September. Over his last 10 games, Crawford is hitting .233 (7-for-30) with two runs scored, an RBI, 10 walks and six strikeouts. After hitting .243 in June, probably due to the adjustment to Triple-A pitching, Crawford went on to hit .300 in July with four doubles, three home runs, 14 runs scored and 14 RBIs. In the seven games in August that he's played, he has five hits in 20 at-bats. His defense may be Major League ready, but his bat still needs some tuning as the Ironpigs continue their push to the playoffs over the next few weeks.
The Phillies No. 1 overall prospect is slashing .258/.348/.333 with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season and hitting .260 between Double-A and Triple-A.
