Mariners' Cal Raleigh goes on injured list for first time in his career

Adam Jude, The Seattle Times on May 14, 2026

Published in Baseball

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HOUSTON —A dreadful year for Cal Raleigh has reached a new low point.

The Mariners’ All-Star catcher, who gamely tried to play through an oblique strain for nearly two weeks, has been placed on the injured list for the first time in his career.

Raleigh was pulled from Wednesday’s game and was seen visibly wincing during a play in the eighth inning, and on Thursday morning he was formally placed on the 10-day IL with a right oblique strain.

“Nobody wants to go on the IL, and especially not Cal,” M’s manager Dan Wilson said. “But I think at this point it’s the smart thing to do.”

There is no timeline for Raleigh’s return. He’s scheduled to have medical imaging taken Friday after the team arrives back in Seattle.

Catcher Jhonny Pereda was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to fill Raleigh’s spot. Mitch Garver was in the lineup at catcher for Thursday’s series finale against the Astros.

They are expected to be the two primary options at catcher during Raleigh’s absence.

An unofficial team captain, Raleigh is often described as the toughest player in the Mariners clubhouse. He famously played with a broken bone and a torn ligament in his left (catching) thumb for the final weeks of the 2022 season, during which he hit iconic walk-off home run to end the Mariners’ 21-year playoff drought.

Oblique injuries are among the most challenging type of injuries for baseball players, and recovery time can be anywhere from two to six weeks, generally speaking.

The Mariners’ Luke Raley suffered a Grade 1 oblique strain in late April 2025 that he later said affected him through the rest of the season.

Raleigh first felt discomfort in his right side during a May 1 game against the Kansas City Royals. He missed the next three games as the team considered the possibility of an IL stint.

“As hard as he works and as tough as he is, he got to a place after the first three or four days that we held him back to where it felt good enough to go,” Wilson said Thursday morning.

Raleigh returned May 5 against Atlanta and was in the lineup for each of the Mariners’ next eight games (with three starts at DH and five at catcher).

His struggles at the plate continued, and on Tuesday, he snapped an 0-for-38 slump, before going hitless Wednesday.

Raleigh had a season for the ages in 2025. He signed a new $105 million contract to start the season and soon emerged as perhaps Seattle’s most adored athlete on his way to one of the greatest seasons ever by a major-league catcher.

He hit 60 home runs, was selected to his first All-Star Game, won the MLB Home Run Derby, led the American League in innings caught and finished second in the AL MVP voting behind the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.

His encore this year could not have started any worse.

Raleigh’s debut with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic was an unmitigated disaster. His playing time was limited as he fought to find his timing at the plate, and the handshake drama with Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena stirred national headlines for weeks.

Once the season began, Raleigh’s strikeout rate ballooned above 30% and he was hitting just .145 with a .492 OPS through his first 18 games.

He started to regain his form in mid-April, hitting five home runs during a stretch of 63 plate appearances and slashing .281/.349/.579 (.928 OPS) with a 163 wRC+ (100 is league average).

The oblique strain then popped up a few days later.

“It’s never the right time to get injured. It doesn’t matter when it happens; it’s just never the right time, Wilson said. “But I think that the good news here is that he’s got a chance to get himself back, to get himself healthy and come come back with a lot of the season left.”