Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh landed on the injured list with an oblique injury and spoke candidly about the next few weeks, insisting he tried to play through it until it was clear it was affecting him and the team.
The Seattle Mariners may be searching for another gear this season, but Cal Raleigh’s oblique injury is forcing a pause at an inconvenient time. The catcher is headed to the injured list, and Raleigh did not soften the message about what that means for him.
“It’s going to suck,” Raleigh said. He added that he attempted to push through the discomfort, but ultimately concluded that “what was best for me and the team was just taking some time and getting this thing healthy.”
Raleigh said the issue had been with him for weeks, and he believes it showed up in his performance. “I think all the guys in there, something’s bugging them. Everybody is going through something. You’re trying to fight through a small injury here or there.”
He acknowledged the internal tug of wanting to keep playing. framing the decision as a moment where effort was no longer the same as help.. “And to be honest, I wanted to play.. And I wanted to see if I could do it, and to what extent was it going to affect me.. And I told the trainers … if I ever got to a point where I was hurting the team. or I couldn’t go anymore. I’d let them know.. And essentially, it just got to that point.”
Now, the timeline remains uncertain from Raleigh’s standpoint. “As of now, Raleigh said it’s hard to say when he’ll be able to come back,” but his plan is clear in how the next stretch should be handled: recover himself while letting other players take over.
Raleigh pointed to Mitch Garver and Jhonny Pereda as part of the group that will absorb his reps.. He also emphasized that the team’s recovery should be disciplined, not chaotic.. “I think the best thing will be to head to Arizona and get right. and let these guys do their thing here. ” Raleigh said.. “I’ll help as much as they need. but at the same time. you don’t want to have too many cooks in the kitchen.”
The tension in Raleigh’s situation is built from a sequence he describes plainly: he tried to play through the oblique issue for weeks. checked in with trainers about when it would start hurting the team. and when that point arrived. the injured list became the route that matched what he believed was best for everyone.
For Seattle, the next few weeks will now revolve around whether Garver and Pereda can steady the catcher role while Raleigh works on getting healthy in Arizona, with the catcher himself setting expectations that the turnaround may take longer than anyone can confidently predict right now.
Cal Raleigh Seattle Mariners injured list oblique injury Mitch Garver Jhonny Pereda