Cal Raleigh Injury Update, Timeline to Return to Mariners After Snapping Hitless Streak

Two days after snapping his 38 at-bat hitless streak, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is going on the injured list for the first time in his career.

Per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, Raleigh will go on the 10-day IL due to a strained right oblique.

Depending on Raleigh's recovery, the earliest he could potentially be activated is May 24.

Raleigh started Wednesday's game against the Houston Astros, but he was replaced at catcher by Mitch Garver in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Astros went on to win 4-3 in 10 innings.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson downplayed anything was seriously wrong, noting Raleigh was experiencing discomfort in his right side and took him out as a precaution.

"He's fine," Wilson told reporters after the game. "It was just, again, kind of precautionary at this point, and we'll know more tomorrow."

Raleigh dealt with a similar issue earlier this month that kept him out of the lineup for three straight games from May 2-4, but he was able to avoid an IL stint and started at DH in three of the next four games.

The injury does give Raleigh an opportunity to step back amid a terrible start to the season. He is hitting .161/.243/.317 across 181 plate appearances, including an 0-for-38 skid that was snapped when he recorded two hits in Tuesday's win over the Astros.

It's unclear exactly when the oblique issues started for Raleigh, but it does at least help explain why his bat has been slow to come along in 2026. He was coming off a historic 2025 in which he hit 60 homers and finished second in AL MVP voting, helping the Mariners win the AL West for the first time since 2001.

Raleigh's 61 wRC+ ranks 161st out of 173 hitters who qualify for the batting title. He has had a wRC+ of at least 114 in each of the previous four seasons.

Garver will likely step in as the primary starting catcher for the Mariners while Raleigh is out. Jhonny Pereda has been recalled from Triple-A to provide depth at the position.