In his first rehab start with the Everett AquaSox on Sunday, Cal Raleigh went 1-for-3 with a single. Serving as the DH, he also hit a deep flyout, just missing a home run. He got that home run today and more in his rehab start for Triple-A Tacoma, a 15-3 drubbing of the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate) where Raleigh alone was responsible for six RBI.
Today the Mariners dialed up the intensity for Raleigh’s second rehab start, having him both take three at-bats and catch a full
five innings. Raleigh didn’t have the opportunity to throw anyone out behind the dish, as Tacoma starter Gabe Mosser was able to keep the Isotopes mostly at bay, scattering just a pair of singles and giving up a two-run homer. However, Cal did get some practice in with the challenge system as a catcher: he challenged a pitch that missed inside by .7” in the second and lost, but then challenged another pitch in the third that resulted in a strikeout. If you’re curious about why Cal was willing to risk losing both challenges in the first third of the game, here’s where that second pitch was located:
But if we give Raleigh an “incomplete” for catching work done today, he gets an A + for his work in the box. Facing former Mariner Erasmo Ramírez, somehow still pitching in affiliated baseball in the year 2026 and good for him, Raleigh took the first pitch he saw – a cutter middle-middle – 326 feet to right for a two-run homer.
Sure, the wind was blowing out to right pretty well at Cheney Stadium today, but that majestic shot – 46 degree launch angle! – came off the bat at 104 mph, with that classic Cal one-handed finish, all encouraging signs for Cal’s injured right oblique.
The Rainiers offense was in full send mode against the Isotopes pitching staff, helpfully offering Raleigh four chances to step to the plate over his five innings of work. In his second at-bat, Ramírez fell behind 3-1 before serving up that exact same cutter Cal had homered on earlier. This time, though, Raleigh just got under it, popping up to the shortstop.
His third at-bat came during the fourth inning, where Tacoma had already scored twice more to build out the lead to 6-2, and Ramírez tried again to pitch Raleigh off the plate, this time coming in and plunking him lightly on the toe with a curveball. That did offer the opportunity to see Raleigh run the bases, however, and he was able to go first to third on a ground ball single up the middle, another tick mark on the rehab checklist.
The Rainiers were in full battering mode in the fifth inning, adding another two runs before Raleigh stepped to the plate for his fourth and final at-bat of the day with the bases loaded. Facing Victor Juarez in a 1-0 count, Raleigh reached down to scoop a changeup up and over the right field wall – just 95 mph off the bat this time but 354 feet, but good for four runs.
The plan is for Raleigh to stay with the Rainiers for this week while they’re at home and the Mariners are out on their lengthy east coast road trip, and then for the team to assess from there. If Raleigh continues swinging like this – with power and apparently pain-free – he could be activated as soon as the next homestand.
