SEATTLE -- The pain in Luke Raley’s elbow has persisted to the point where the slugging outfielder needed to be placed on the 10-day injured list.
The Mariners did so Saturday morning, before their matinee against the Twins, with what’s classified as a left forearm strain.
In a corresponding move, outfielder Stuart Fairchild was selected from Triple-A Tacoma and added to the 40-man roster, which is currently at 39.
“I think they're continuing to look at options and what's available and what he can do,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “But it's certainly going to take a little bit of time, for sure. But we'll kind of know more here in the coming days. But obviously, a tough break to lose a guy like Rails, to lose someone who plays hard like that and sets a tone and is just a team player all around.”
Raley has been dealing with discomfort in the area for some time, having missed three games from June 28 through July 1 before returning.
Since then, he’s slashing .179/.217/.268 (.485 OPS) with 20 strikeouts and two walks in 60 plate appearances. But up to that point, he’d slashed .238/.302/.485 (.788 OPS) through his first 73 games.
The flexor tendon in the forearm has led to pain in his elbow, which he attempted to combat by wearing a protective sleeve.
“I think it's been just a wear and tear thing over time, and something that he's dealt with for several years,” Wilson said. “It's just getting now to the point where it's more painful than it's been and preventing him from getting in there.”
Raley was one of the Mariners’ best hitters through the early weeks of the season, and his 15 homers trail only Dominic Canzone (18) and Julio Rodríguez (16) for the team lead.
“You can't say enough about the type of player that Luke is,” Wilson said. “From a coachability standpoint, Luke is about the Mariners, and that's what it boils down to. He was really trying to grit it out as much as he could.
“But it gets to a point where it's difficult and it's painful, and he felt like he wasn't helping the team at that point. And so, tough decisions all around. But he's going to take a break here and hopefully get some resolve.”
Fairchild, 30, joined the Mariners on a Minors contract on July 5 in what was a homecoming of sorts, and a reunion, as he grew up in Seattle and attended Seattle Preparatory School. He also spent time in the organization in 2022, which included three games in the big leagues.
At Tacoma, he had a slash line of .262/.415/.643 (1.058 OPS) and was worth 158 wRC+ (league average is 100) over 12 games.
This came after he was designated for assignment by the Guardians on June 26 and then elected free agency shortly after. With Cleveland, he went 3-for-19 (.158) with 14 strikeouts and seven walks across 14 games.
Fairchild, who hits right-handed, was not in Saturday’s lineup against left-hander Connor Prielipp. The Mariners instead used Canzone in right field, Mitch Garver at catcher and Cal Raleigh at designated hitter.
The Mariners have been considering right-handed-hitting prospect Michael Arroyo for the big league roster, but he’ll remain in Tacoma at least right now.
That’s primarily because there’s not a clear spot to play him, as he’s grown up as a second baseman, and that spot is occupied by everyday staple Cole Young. They’ve also tried him out at third base but have trepidation about his arm strength there.
They’ve been testing Arroyo in the outfield, too, but he’s graded as below-average there. Fairchild can play all three spots and is more expendable.