Seattle Mariners Make Cal Raleigh Decision on Thursday
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh's slow start this year exemplifies how hard it is to maintain elite production at the plate. The 29-year-old is slashing just .161/.243/.317 with seven homers and 18 RBIs over 41 games after slashing .247/.359/.589 with 60 homers and 125 RBIs across 159 contests in 2025.
Raleigh led MLB in home runs, led the AL in RBIs, and set the MLB record for most home runs in a season by a catcher or switch-hitter. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder also earned All-Star, All-MLB First Team, and Silver Slugger honors for the first time.
Both Raleigh and the Mariners have not been as successful to start 2026, as the club is 21-23 after winning the AL West at 90-72 last year. To make matters worse, the veteran is injured, per The Seattle Times' Adam Jude.
"NEWS: Cal Raleigh (right oblique strain) is headed to the IL for the first time in his career," he reported on Thursday.
NEWS: Cal Raleigh (right oblique strain) is headed to the IL for the first time in his career.
— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) May 14, 2026
Cal Raleigh Has Time to Bounce Back
Raleigh exited Seattle's 4-3 loss to the Houston Astros to begin the bottom of the ninth inning with right side discomfort, per MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. The North Carolina native grimaced in pain and couldn't make a throw to first base on a would-be 6-2-3 double play attempt in the eighth.
Raleigh missed three games earlier in May for the same issue. He'll go through a more thorough evaluation on Friday and has no return timetable yet, per Kramer.
The good news for the Mariners is that they are just over a quarter of the way through the regular season, leaving plenty of time for Raleigh to recover. It's both in his and the team's best interest to wait until he's fully healthy to play again, as the injury could otherwise risk his health and affect his performance.
Although Seattle needs Raleigh at his best, the squad has room for improvement as a whole. It ranks 17th in baseball with a .700 OPS and is tied for 17th with 183 runs scored.
However, it's still only two games behind the Athletics for first place in the division and a half-game behind the Texas Rangers for second. If players like star center fielder Julio Rodriguez (.773 OPS), first baseman Josh Naylar (.673 OPS), and left fielder Randy Arozarena (.852) anchor the offense in Raleigh's absence, the Mariners could quickly get above .500.
Up next is a rematch with the Astros at 2:10 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Related: Mariners Cal Raleigh's Slump Reaches New Low
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 9:44 AM.