The Seattle Mariners finally saw a glimpse of life coming out of Cal Raleigh’s bat. But before they could familiarize themselves with it, the team suffered a huge setback. And the blow complicates things more as the Mariners are struggling with a below .500 record this season. 

“Cal Raleigh is indeed heading to the IL for the first time in his career, with a right oblique strain,” the Mariners insider Daniel Kramer posted on social media on Tuesday.

Raleigh was behind the plate on Wednesday’s game against the Houston Astros. The Mariners suffered an extra-inning 4-3 loss after securing the series. But before they lost the game, Seattle lost its primary catcher to the strain in the bottom of the eighth. While trying to position himself for a throw from Julio Rodríguez, Raleigh was seen struggling and holding the right side of his waist. 

Cal Raleigh has been with the Mariners since his rookie year in 2021, and this is the first time he has been put in the IL. Earlier, on May 1, he was playing through discomfort. Manager Dan Wilson chose not to test his durability and scratched him from the roster for the next game. The 29-year-old had to sit out the games on May 3 and 4 as well, due to soreness and discomfort. He made a return on May 5. 

Wilson was optimistic that the discomfort he had wasn’t going to be a big issue. “He’s fine,” the manager said after Cal was replaced after the eighth inning. “It was just, again, kind of precautionary at this point, and we’ll know more tomorrow.”

However, the franchise had to take the precaution up a notch and put him on a 10-day injury list. That puts him for a return on 24th May. Although there isn’t a bone fracture, the soft-tissue muscle injury is expected to heal soon enough. But there isn’t a fixed date for his return. For catchers, this specific injury is notoriously ominous; the violent torquing motion required for both swinging a bat and throwing out baserunners puts immense, repeated stress directly on the core.

Any negative development might require around four to six weeks of recovery for Raleigh. This is not an ideal situation for the Mariners with a 21-23 record in 2026.

Wilson had been trying to avoid exactly this kind of situation. He had put Raleigh on DH to improve his batting average (.161 this season). He started 29 out of 41 games as a catcher in 2026. But now it seems like he needs more recovery time. And Raleigh’s absence is more threatening than ever despite his hitting slump.

Cal Raleigh’s sudden IL trip deepens the Mariners’ alarming slump

This is the first time since his rookie season Raleigh has recorded a below .200 AVG. It was a big concern for Seattle as he recently went 0-for-38. But during the second game against Houston, he snapped his slump with two hits and three runs from four at-bats. That provided much-needed relief for the Mariners’ offense, which was really short-lived. 

Seattle has been concerned about his batting numbers. Raleigh is coming off a monster 2025 campaign where he smashed 60 home runs and finished as the AL MVP runner-up. He was 20 points shy of Aaron Judge from the New York Yankees. And just as the Mariners thought it was taking a turn towards the positive, they suffered this blow. 

The franchise is third in the AL West and 26th in MLB with a .230 batting average. But it isn’t just about offense. Raleigh has been a vocal and emotional leader in the clubhouse. The understanding he has with the pitchers or the way he can motivate Seattle is unmatched. 

He fired up the entire stadium after the American League West division title, saying, “Might as well go win the whole f–king thing!” And his teammates love him leading the pack. 

J.P. Crawford had earlier praised his style, saying, “He’s not afraid to say something that needs to be said, and it shows you what type of leader he is.”

Hence, the absence will have a severe impact on the clubhouse. However, the Mariners have already called up Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A Tacoma. He has been hitting .321 in the minors with a .831 OPS. But he has little experience in the majors. 

That’s why he will serve as a backup while Mitch Garver will be the primary catcher. Garver isn’t a huge improvement with a .167 batting average and no HRs in 20 games. But he’ll have to do. In the meantime, Seattle will pray for Cal Raleigh’s quick recovery and hope that he finds better contact once he returns to the plate.