SEATTLE -- Cal Raleigh's Minor League rehab assignment is on the immediate horizon.
The Mariners’ all-world catcher is slated to play this Sunday at High-A Everett, then will transition to Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday and play the rest of the week there -- after which the club will reassess his status. The Minor Leagues are off on Monday.
Raleigh will be at designated hitter during his first rehab game, after which he's penciled in to catch primarily.
“They're taking it carefully just to be sure,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said before the club’s series finale vs. the Mets on Wednesday. “So, I think all of it is pointing to good news, and he's getting to a point where he's getting much stronger. And it looks like we're on a good path.”
A good estimate for Raleigh’s activation from his first career stint on the IL -- if all continues to go well -- would be during Seattle’s next homestand, which begins on June 16. And that would align with the timeline that the club provided on Wednesday.
“He's getting closer and closer, and I think that's the good news,” Wilson said. “And again, with this type of injury, I think it's important to kind of stick to the process and not try to, 'I feel great today,' and go a little bit extra. But I think he's on a good pace right now, and seems like we're in a good spot.”
Raleigh has ramped up baseball activity since rejoining the club from Arizona in the middle of Saturday night’s win.
He squatted behind home plate before Tuesday’s win and threw to all the bases, then sprinted under the watchful eye of club athletic trainers. He also caught Bryan Woo’s bullpen session on Monday.
But the most telling development is that he’s swung in the cage with more intensity, which is the biggest hurdle to clear in a recovery from the right oblique strain that landed him on the 10-day injured list on May 14.
That came after the issue first surfaced on May 1 and forced him to miss three games before returning and playing through it for nearly two weeks.
“He seems much more relaxed, I think, in a lot of ways,” Wilson said. “And I think that's a great thing. ... He's used the time well and wisely and has gotten himself physically, I think, and mentally, getting ready to play.”
During Raleigh’s stead, the Mariners have gone 12-6 and received quality production both at the plate from the entire lineup and behind it between fill-ins Mitch Garver and Jhonny Pereda. That tandem has a combined .763 OPS in 67 plate appearances, and Pereda had a huge homer during Tuesday’s win that extended the club’s win streak to eight games.
Raleigh, meanwhile, was off to one of the sport’s slowest starts, with a slash line of .161/.243/.317 (.560 OPS). The Mariners are banking on the pain alleviation and mental reset of this IL stint allowing him to get back to elite production.
In separate injury news, first baseman Josh Naylor returned to Seattle’s starting lineup less than 48 hours after exiting with a back spasm on a home run swing during the seventh inning on Monday.
Naylor was replaced on Tuesday by Patrick Wisdom, who hit his first homer with the Mariners.