Seattle Mariners fans may finally have a reason for catcher Cal Raleigh’s poor numbers this season. Raleigh was placed on the injured list due to a right oblique strain, the team announced Thursday.
It’s the first time in his career Raleigh has hit the injured list.
The injury comes amid a poor start for Raleigh. After finishing as the American League runner-up for the MVP award, Raleigh has hit just .161/.243/.317 to open the 2026 season. By the advanced metrics, Raleigh was performing like one of the worst hitters in the majors this season, a precipitous fall compared to last year, when he clubbed an AL-leading 60 home runs and drove in 125 RBI.
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Raleigh’s rough start came to head Tuesday, as the catcher entered play mired in an 0-for-36 slump. He remained hitless in his first two at-bats of the evening, bringing his streak to 38 hitless at-bats before finally breaking through with a single in the seventh inning of the team’s 10-2 win over the Houston Astros. He also singled in the ninth inning of that contest.
That performance offered some hope that Raleigh was about to turn things around, but disaster struck during Wednesday’s game. After an 0-for-4 performance — with two strikeouts — Raleigh was taken out of the contest in the bottom of the ninth inning due to side soreness.
Raleigh battled side soreness earlier in the season, missing three games in early May due to the issue. While Raleigh was able to return and play in the team’s next eight games, it appears he re-aggravated that injury Wednesday night.
The Mariners initially said Raleigh was taken out of Wednesday’s game for precautionary reasons, but when manager Dan Wilson was asked about a possible IL stint for Raleigh, Wilson said the team would “see how it is [Thursday] and go from there.”
After further evaluation, the team felt Raleigh would be best served by some time off in order to fully recover. The Mariners did not announce a timetable for Raleigh’s return.
