Phillies' J.P. Crawford: Acting as primary third baseman

Crawford will draw his fourth consecutive start at third base and bat seventh Sunday against the Brewers, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

When Crawford was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list Wednesday, the assumption was that he would pick up most of his starts at shortstop, where his solid defense would have its greatest impact. Instead, the Phillies have opted to keep the struggling Scott Kingery at shortstop while having Crawford replace Maikel Franco as the team's primary third baseman. While Franco's .704 OPS this season is far greater than what Crawford (.569) or Kingery (.593) has provided, it appears the Phillies value the latter two players' defense and baserunning skills more than what Franco has to offer at the plate. It thus looks like Crawford will retain an everyday role in the infield, albeit at a different position than expected.