Mariners' Cal Raleigh takes first swings since going on IL
The next step in the slow progression for Cal Raleigh to return from his oblique injury has started.
The Mariners catcher took 30 swings at moderate intensity off the batting tee in the cages at the Mariners complex in Arizona on Friday, the first time he's done any significant hitting since suffering the right oblique injury just over two weeks ago.
M's general manager Justin Hollander said Raleigh is expected to hit again on Saturday in Arizona and then fly up to Seattle for a check-in with the major-league club.
"I think he misses us, or probably the other guys, not necessarily me," Hollander joked. "But he will come for a check-in over the next couple days."
Raleigh landed on the injured list for the first time in his career on May 14. He started light baseball activity earlier this week, but starting to take swings was always going to be the last step in his progression.
Hollander said Raleigh is doing some 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% that he feels 100%," 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."
Even if it'll still be a little while before Raleigh is back on the field, M's manager Dan Wilson said having him around for at least a couple of days will be a benefit.
Just having that leadership around and just who he is as a person, it'll be great to see him," Wilson said.
How long Raleigh is around the team is still to be determined. Hollander said a determination has yet to be made whether Raleigh will continue his rehab in Seattle or go back to Arizona.
"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.
While Raleigh is progressing in his baseball activity, Brendan Donovan is still slowly building toward the start of an on-field running program. So far, all of Donovan's running has been done using a weightless treadmill. Hollander said the hope is that Donovan will graduate into a baseball running progression - beginning with straight-ahead running - at some point in the next several days.
Donovan landed on the IL for the second time this season on May 17 due to complications from offseason surgery for a sports hernia and prompted the promotion of Colt Emerson to the majors.
As with Raleigh, there is no timeline as of yet for Donovan on a possible return. But Hollander said both will need rehab outings in the minors before rejoining the major-league club.
"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 of Donovan.
Other injury updates:
* RHP Carlos Vargas (right lat strain) was scheduled for a follow-up MRI on Friday to make sure he's clear to resume a throwing program. Vargas has spent the entire season on the injured list.
* IF Will Wilson (thumb fracture) has been working out in Arizona and is expected to start a rehab assignment in about a week. Wilson has been out since April 30.
* IF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni (calf) started a rehab assignment earlier this week and is currently with Triple-A Tacoma.
* In the minors, IF Brock Rodden and IF/OF Michael Arroyo have both been dealing with hamstring issues. Arroyo has returned while Rodden is expected to miss a week or two.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 4:54 PM.