SEATTLE -- The timeline for Cal Raleigh's return from the first injured list stint of his career is far from clear-cut. The Mariners are being intentional about that. But this weekend is one of checkmarks for their star catcher.
Raleigh, who reportedly began throwing this past Monday in Arizona, swung a bat for the first time since hitting the 10-day IL with a right oblique strain, according to Seattle general manager Justin Hollander, taking 15 swings off a tee from each side of the plate.
Next up -- after another workout Saturday morning -- the Platinum Glove Award winner will fly north to join the Mariners ahead of their game against the D-backs and check in with the medical staff at T-Mobile Park.
“I think he misses us -- or at least the other guys. Not necessarily me,” Hollander said with a laugh prior to Friday's series opener.
Once Raleigh is in Seattle, Hollander said that the Mariners’ training staff will determine whether he will continue his recovery in the Pacific Northwest or return to Arizona.
“It’ll be great to see him, no doubt,” manager Dan Wilson said. “Everyone will be glad to see him.”
Hollander classified the swings Raleigh took as “moderate intensity” and said that the focus going forward is on building that intensity -- eventually moving to live pitching -- instead of a set number of reps.
"Just want to build responsibly, and make sure that when he cuts it loose 100%, he feels 100%,” Hollander said. “I don’t have any more of a timeline on that.”
Elsewhere on the injury front, Hollander said that Brendan Donovan -- who is on the IL for the second time this season with a left groin strain -- is running on an anti-gravity treadmill, with the plan being to graduate to a running program in the next few days. He’s also set to fly to Seattle, likely when the Mariners go back out on the road.
Hollander said that both Raleigh and Donovan will definitely need rehab assignments and didn’t speculate as to how long it will be until those come.
"I think the reason that we’re being extra cautious with these guys is that if we put a date on the calendar and said, ‘They’re going to go on a rehab assignment on this day,’ they will go on the rehab assignment on that day, whether they’re actually feeling good enough to do it or not,” he said. “We’re just going to assess day to day with how they’re actually doing.
“I’m not saying we’re ignoring what they say, but we’re taking what they’re saying in the context of who they are, and making sure that when they [say] they’re ready to go out, they’re actually ready to go out and they’re not playing to the day on the calendar that we set for them weeks in advance.”
Hollander said that Raleigh has been doing catching drills and is throwing out to 130 feet. For Donovan, he said that the Mariners are “less concerned about the hitting than we are about the running,” though there are still multiple boxes to check before he's running at full speed.
In Raleigh’s absence, Mitch Garver and Jhonny Pereda have split starts behind the plate. Friday night vs. the D-backs, Pereda got the start, catching George Kirby and batting eighth. Since Raleigh went on the IL, Garver has hit .286 with a .994 OPS.
Things will be more interesting with Donovan’s eventual return, given that top prospect Colt Emerson has slotted into the everyday starter role at third base and is set to stay there. That’s something the Mariners knew would happen when they signed Donovan. In four years with the Cardinals, he made 162 starts in the outfield, and will likely move around the field in a truer utility role when he comes back.
Other injuries of note
- RHP Carlos Vargas (right lat strain) was set to undergo another MRI on Friday to make sure everything was clear before he ramped up his throwing program. “It’s not a setback MRI, it’s more of an MRI to make sure he’s clear and ready to go,” Hollander said.
- Infielder Miles Mastrobuoni (right calf) began a second rehab assignment on Monday, playing in a complex game before joining Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.
- Michael Arroyo, Seattle’s No. 5 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 48 overall, returned to action Tuesday for Double-A Arkansas after missing 12 days with a hamstring strain. “He’s a relatively quick healer,” Hollander said. “We shut it down before it got bad. Happy to see that it was sort of a 10-day, on-and-off process for him.”