Carl Crawford made his way back from Phoenix this afternoon and showed up at Tropicana Field, even taking a few moments to talk to the media. Crawford had surgery performed on his right hand Thursday in Phoenix, where he stayed at his home to relax for a few days before coming back to St. Pete. While no official time-table has been placed on his possible return, Crawford said it is his intention to make it back to the lineup in time for a possible playoff appearance for the Rays. He is not sure what kind of rehabilitation he is going to be put through, but will get a better idea when he speaks to a therapist this week. The best case scenario could have Crawford ready for the final regular season series.

Crawford is currently on the disabled list after he suffered an injury in the Seattle series in which the ligament in his middle finger would pop out of joint and lock up his finger until the ligament was put back in place.

Throughout his athletic career, dating back to high school, Crawford said he has never had to endure an injury that kept him out of the lineup for an extended period of time. And while he said there is obvious frustration having to sit on the sidelines while the Rays are in the middle of a pennant race, he doesn’t want to dwell on it “because what’s done is done and nothing can be done to change it.

While he was hanging out in Phoenix, he made sure to tune in to every Rays game on television, although he said that just like everybody else he would flip around the channels in between innings mostly catching the Olympics - including the swimming and gymnastics and some track and field events. He said he has turned into a fan, and just like every other fan who watched the Texas series, he just sat back and waited to see how manager Joe Maddon’s decision to walk Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded was going to pan out. “It worked out, so it was the right decision,’’ Crawford said.