Catcher Cal Raleigh a Late Scratch From Seattle Mariners' Lineup With Heel Injury
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Catcher Cal Raleigh was a late scratch from the Seattle Mariners' lineup against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Raleigh is dealing with a bruised heel he suffered Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers when he attempted to steal second base. Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels was postponed, so this will be the first game Raleigh has missed since the injury.
Manager Scott Servais told reporters it was a precautionary decision to scratch Raleigh and that he would be back in the lineup shortly. If it was a regular season game, Servais said, Raleigh would have played through it.
Raleigh had been mashing in Cactus League play, batting .400 with a 1.520 OPS through nine appearances. He has racked up three home runs, a double, a triple and 10 RBI in Spring Training exhibition action.
After making his big league debut in 2021, Raleigh has thrived in his two seasons as the Mariners' full-time starting catcher. Raleigh belted 27 homers in 2022, then 30 in 2023, racking up 138 RBI along the way.
Raleigh has been a .223 hitter over the last two years, boasting a .767 OPS and 7.1 WAR in that span. He placed 18th in AL MVP voting in 2023.
Offseason trade addition and longtime White Sox reserve Seby Zavala is projected to be Raleigh's backup catcher once the regular season begins, but non-roster invite Michael Papierski drew the start Saturday.
First pitch for Seattle's exhibition game against Chicago is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. The Mariners' next Cactus League game is scheduled for Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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