The Seattle Mariners placed star catcher Cal Raleigh on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain ahead of Thursday’s series finale against the Houston Astros.
It will mark the first IL stint of Raleigh’s MLB career.
Reaction: Why Raleigh going on IL is good for him and Mariners
Raleigh exited Wednesday night’s game after reaggravating an issue in his right side that caused him to miss three games earlier this month.
In a corresponding move Thursday, the Mariners recalled 30-year-old catcher Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle also reinstated left-handed reliever José Ferrer from the paternity list and optioned lefty reliever Josh Simpson to Tacoma.
“Nobody wants to go on the IL, and especially not Cal,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said before Thursday’s game. “But I think at this point, I think it’s the smart thing to do and a chance for him to get that resolved and then be ready to go. We’ve got still a long way to go, and I think this is really wise (to) get him 100% before he gets back.”
Raleigh returned to the lineup as the designated hitter on May 5 after missing three games, then returned to his usual spot behind the plate on May 8.
In Wednesday night’s game, Raleigh grimaced and grabbed at his right side while backing up a throw to home plate in the eighth inning. Two batters later, Raleigh slipped in front of the plate as he was about to throw to first base to attempt a 6-1-3 double play.
Raleigh was then pulled in the ninth inning for backup catcher Mitch Garver.
Wilson said the Mariners will get a more clear picture on Raleigh’s status after the team returns to Seattle for its upcoming homestand, which begins Friday.
“I think we’ll know a little bit more in the next coming days as he gets images and whatnot,” Wilson said. “… It’s one of those things that can be kind of tricky, and you just have to be as careful as possible so that you can get it back to 100% and it’s not something that you’re thinking about.”
After blasting an MLB-leading 60 home runs last year and finishing as the runner-up in American League MVP voting, Raleigh is slashing just .161/.243/.317 for a .560 OPS with seven homers in 41 games this season.
Raleigh’s side issue came amid a career-long 0-for-38 slump, which he broke with a pair of singles on Tuesday night.
Garver received the start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Mariners on Thursday. The 35-year-old veteran is slashing .167/.344/.188 with a .532 OPS in 20 games this season.
Pereda started two games behind the plate earlier this month after being called up while Raleigh was out of the lineup. He went 2 for 5 with a pair of singles.
“We’ll just have to monitor it as we go,” Wilson said of the team’s catching plan while Raleigh is on the IL. “Obviously we can’t overwork Garv in any way. And what we’ve seen from Jhonny has been great. So we’ll just kind of mix and match as we go and see how those guys hold up.”
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