Justin Crawford is tearing up triple-A pitching. Is it time for the Phillies to call him up?

ATLANTA — In 2016, the Red Sox were getting below league average production from their left fielders when they called up top prospect Andrew Benintendi one day after the trade deadline.

Could the Phillies follow that timeline with Justin Crawford?

It’s a fair question, considering that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski ran Boston’s front office nine years ago. And Crawford, like Benintendi then, has gaudy numbers in the minors.

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But in a conversation with The Inquirer over the weekend, Dombrowski said he doesn’t have an overriding philosophy on the best time to call up a touted prospect.

“I’ve brought guys up in pennant races that have done quite well,” Dombrowski said. “Benintendi and [Rafael] Devers, they did very well for us [with the Red Sox]. Really, it comes down more on how the player’s playing — and then the opportunity that they have."

Crawford, 21, led the triple-A International League with a .335 average and 87 hits entering play Sunday. He wasn’t in the lineup for Lehigh Valley, although Phillies manager Rob Thomson said it was a scheduled day off.

Rival talent evaluators have varied opinions on Crawford because of his extreme ground ball rate (62.9% this season). For context, San Diego’s Jose Iglesias and Tampa Bay’s Jake Mangum are the only major leaguers with at least 100 plate appearances and a ground ball rate over 60%.

But Crawford has a high contact rate and track-star speed. In his case, any ball in play has a chance to be a hit.

More than ever, though, success in triple A isn’t translating to the majors. Boston’s Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer and Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone, three of the most prized prospects in baseball, have struggled since getting called up earlier this season.

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“There’s no comparison between triple A and the big leagues,” Dombrowski said. “You can do really well at triple A, and I mean, you can just look around, they come to the big leagues and they’re hitting below .200. So, it’s hard.”

In the cases of both Benintendi and Devers, who made their major league debuts almost exactly one year apart, the call-ups came when the Red Sox were playing on the West Coast. Dombrowski said that wasn’t a consideration.

But there was the matter of playing time. The Red Sox wanted Benintendi and Devers to play regularly. The Phillies would want the same for Crawford, and right now, center fielder Brandon Marsh has been more productive, with a .339 average and .828 OPS this month entering Sunday.

Left fielder Max Kepler was batting .209 with a .677 OPS overall. But only 17 of Crawford’s 63 starts have come in left field. Like Kepler, Crawford bats from the left side, not that the Phillies would want to platoon Crawford anyway.

“I would think a young guy like that’s got to play,” Thomson said. “If not every day, then very consistently.”

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Kyle Schwarber said he hasn’t been asked yet to compete in the Home Run Derby on the eve of the All-Star Game next month in Atlanta.

Schwarber, tied for second in the National League with 25 homers, participated in 2018 and 2022. finishing second to Harper in 2018. Given the physical toll of swinging for the fences, Schwarber said he’s unsure if he would do it again.

The Derby field doesn’t typically take shape until closer to All-Star week, but host Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh signed on last week. Raleigh leads the majors with 32 homers.

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The Phillies chose to keep the rotation in order after a 2-hour, 19-minute rain delay washed out rookie righty Mick Abel’s start Friday night. Abel will throw an extra bullpen session before facing the Padres on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park. ... Zack Wheeler (7-3, 2.45 ERA) will start the opener of a home series against the Padres at 6:35 p.m. Monday.