HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 11: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners bats in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on May 11, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Tim Warner / Getty Images)
For the first time since going on the injured list with an oblique injury on May 14, catcher Cal Raleigh has resumed taking swings while doing rehab work in Arizona for the Seattle Mariners.
Raleigh took 30 swings on Friday – with 15 from each side of the plate – at a moderate intensity, according to general manager Justin Hollander. Raleigh will work out again in Arizona on Saturday before returning to Seattle for a check-in visit ahead of tomorrow night's game with the Diamondbacks.
"I think he misses us, or probably the other guys, not necessarily me," Hollander joked.
It's the first time in Raleigh's career that he's been placed on the injured list. Raleigh initially tweaked his oblique against the Kansas City Royals in early May. After sitting out three games, he returned to the lineup and played eight more games before re-aggravating the issue against the Houston Astros.
MRI scans at the time showed the injury didn't get any worse, but Raleigh was going to get an injection to help aid healing and take some downtime to let it recover.
In addition to the swings, Hollander said Raleigh is catching and has been throwing out to 130 feet.
"We just want to build responsibly and make sure that when he cuts it loose 100 percent that he feels 100 percent," Hollander said. "I don’t have any more of a timeline than that. I’ll probably know more than that a week from now, in terms of how he’s doing and where we’re at in terms of return to play date. But I think the swings today were a good sign and he felt good after doing it."
Hollander said they'll wait to determine whether Raleigh will remain in Seattle to continue his rehab work around the team, or head back to Arizona for some more work down there.
"A lot of it will be based on what we feel like he needs next and whether we can give that to him best in Seattle, or whether he’s best served by going to Arizona," Hollander said.
"I think the swings today were a good sign, and he felt good after doing it."
Infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan is also down in Arizona as he works to rehab from a left groin muscle strain that is a byproduct of offseason sports hernia surgery.
"He's doing well, progressing him towards pain-free baseball activities," Hollander said.
Donovan has been running on an AlterG weightless treadmill and will continue that for a few more days. If he is cleared, he'll then move into baseball running. The issue is more of a concern when running than a factor at the plate.
"These are the type of injuries that you want to be really deliberate with, to make sure we don’t have any kind of setback like we did last time," Hollander said.
"No real timeline on when he'll be back to full baseball activity, less concerned about the hitting than we are about the running."
In other injury news, right-handed pitcher Carlos Vargas was scheduled for an MRI on Friday to make sure he's clear to resume throwing. He's been on the injured list all season with a right lat strain.
Utility man Miles Mastrobuoni has started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma. A pair of calf injuries – one from the World Baseball Classic and one during an earlier rehab assignment – have kept him on the injured list since the start of the year.
Infielder Will Wilson has also been in Arizona and is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week after fracturing his thumb in late April.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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