SEATTLE -- Cal Raleigh was scratched from the Mariners’ lineup before Saturday’s game against the Royals, though no immediate word was relayed as to why.
Raleigh was slated to start at catcher and hit in the No. 2 spot against right-hander Seth Lugo, but was replaced by Mitch Garver behind the plate, with Garver slotted at No. 8.
At almost the exact same time, Triple-A Tacoma announced that it had also scratched its starting catcher -- Jhonny Pereda -- then shortly after, it became clear why.
Pereda was recalled from Tacoma, but not as a roster replacement for Raleigh.
The corresponding move was infielder Will Wilson being placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 30) with a fractured left thumb.
Pereda is the Mariners’ only catcher on the 40-man roster beyond Raleigh and Garver, and has been the No. 3 on the depth chart since being acquired from the Twins on Jan. 27 in exchange for cash considerations.
He’s also been off to a solid start for the Rainiers, slashing .333/.418/.436 (.853 OPS) with two homers and two doubles over 92 plate appearances across 23 games.
Raleigh had started in 32 of the Mariners’ first 33 games of the season -- 25 at catcher and seven at designated hitter -- the lone exception being on March 30 against the Yankees, when he came off the bench and ripped a walk-off single.
A slow start stalled him in the early weeks, but he’s begun to heat up, with five of his seven homers coming over his past 10 games. Overall, he’s slashing .186/.272/.380 (.652 OPS) with four doubles, 18 RBIs, a 29.3% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate.