PEORIA, Ariz. -- Luke Raley took his time getting back into his workout routine this past offseason.
The Mariners sure hope that approach is a prelude to a fruitful 2026.
Raley, who is entering his third season in Seattle, has been working his way back after appearing in just 73 games last season. The 31-year-old dealt with a right oblique strain in 2025 that never fully resolved, turning him into a spectator for the Mariners’ memorable march to the American League Championship Series.
Raley landed on the IL in late April and said he never felt 100 percent after his return in June. He also missed the first two weeks of August with back spasms, making his breakout 2024 campaign feel like a distant memory.
So, he tried something a little different following the 2025 season’s conclusion.
He waited.
"Injuries like that, they take a long time to recover from,” Raley said. “I really didn't pick up a bat until January and just decided that it'd be better to let my body rest and heal than try to fix something that's not necessarily the problem.”
His offseason routine typically begins with hitting in late November, but he was intentionally patient last fall. There wasn’t a specific routine he followed either, though Raley incorporated yoga and Pilates into his daily routine to help strengthen his core.
Early Spring Training results are encouraging, albeit with a small sample size. Raley said he’s “feeling healthy,” and is 5-for-12 with a home run, a double, two walks, one RBI and two runs scored in six spring games following Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Angels.
That’s a promising sign for a player who is targeting a bounceback season.
“Having that early success and finding the early barrels is huge,” manager Dan Wilson said. “I think you know that's going to help him move along quickly and trust that what he has done, trust the work that he's put in, because it has gotten him into a good place.”
Raley’s physical wellbeing is only half of the story, though. He said the mental aspect of having such a disjointed season is equally as hard to come back from, if not more, so the extra time he took this past offseason aided him as much mentally as it did physically.
"Having a year like that is really tough,” Raley said. "It's tough on your mental health. That was another thing, being able to go home and just mentally reset and get the body great.”
Raley hopes to be a key 2026 contributor in an outfield loaded with talent. Both left field and center field feature stars Randy Arozarena (LF) and Julio Rodríguez (CF), who have five All-Star Game appearances between them.
Right field is crowded, though, as Raley is competing for time with Victor Robles, Dominic Canzone and Rob Refsnyder.
That’s where his flexibility in the field of play can set him apart.
Raley has appeared in 133 career games in right field, 110 at first base, 100 in left field and 25 in center, and he has also logged 29 games as a designated hitter. His defense remains a strong distinction, as he has committed just nine errors since making his MLB debut in 2021.
"His versatility and filling roles for us is a big part of his identity as a player,” Wilson said. “It's been great to see him down here in Spring Training and just having that early success and finding the early barrels is huge.
"I think that's going to help him move along quickly.”
Raley will have ample time in right field over the next few weeks, as Arozarena (Mexico) and Canzone (Italy) represent their respective countries in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The consistent reps will be a welcome workload as he continues to work on a return to everyday play.
Raley doesn’t want to be a spectator this fall on a Mariners team that’s oozing potential.
He wants to take center stage.
"It's a very, very talented group, and I'm really excited for what the season's gonna bring,” Raley said. “With the team that we have, and where we went last year, we all expect to grow from that.
"We want to get the job done in that Game 7 this year, make a World Series, and then go win it.”