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Mariners' Luke Raley: Remains red hot to begin season
Rotowire
Raley went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run Saturday in the Mariners' 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Guardians.
Raley didn't start the contest, but he was summoned off the bench in the 10th inning. The veteran hitter came through with a two-run blast to center field to bring the Guardians within a run of tying the score. Raley has exactly one hit in each of his first three games this season, and each of his knocks has left the park. He already has three long balls and five RBI across nine plate appearances in 2026 after managing just four home runs and 19 runs batted over 219 regular-season plate appearances last season.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Goes yard again Friday
Rotowire
Raley went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 5-1 win over the Guardians.
Raley provided some insurance in the sixth inning with his second homer in as many games to begin the year. He went deep just four times in 219 plate appearances during the 2025 regular season, adding a .630 OPS, though he had 22 homers over 455 plate appearances in 2024. Playing time will be crucial for Raley's success, and he has the early edge for at least a strong-side platoon role in right field. Victor Robles and Rob Refsnyder are in the mix to see the majority of the time versus lefties.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Smacks Opening Day homer
Rotowire
Raley went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Guardians.
Raley, who got the Opening Day start in right field, led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo shot off Tanner Bibee, tying the game at 3-3. It's a nice start to the season for Raley, who struggled to a .202/.319/.311 slash line with just four homers in 73 games last year. The 31-year-old figures to get the majority of starts against right-handed pitching while splitting time with Victor Robles and Rob Refsnyder in right field.
Raley has gone 5-for-10 with a double and a home run through five Cactus League games.
It's been a nice start to the spring for Raley, who launched a 439-foot homer of Padres' left-hander JP Sears on Saturday. Raley should see regular at-bats against right-handed pitching to open the season while platooning with Rob Refsnyder in a corne-outfield spot. Injuries limited Raley to 219 plate appearances in 2025, where he slashed just .202/.319/.311 with four homers. However, Raley posted an .803 OPS over his previous two campaigns (255 games overall) with 41 home runs in that span.
Mariners' Luke Raley: Expected to start versus righties
Rotowire
Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Sunday that he expects Raley to start against most right-hander this season, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports.
Hollander does not anticipate a "hardcore platoon" in right field and designated hitter, but as a "baseline," he expects left-handed hitters Raley and Dominic Canzone to play against most righties and right-handed hitters Victor Robles and Rob Refsnyder to start versus most lefties. Raley collected a disappointing .202/.319/.311 batting line during the 2025 regular season, but he slashed .242/.333/.453 versus right-handers.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Agrees to terms with Mariners
Rotowire
Raley signed a one-year contract with the Mariners on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
This marked Raley's first year of arbitration eligibility. He took a significant step back in 2025, logging only a .630 OPS across 219 plate appearances while also dealing with oblique and back injuries. Raley projects to begin 2026 in a reserve role for Seattle.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Back in action Friday
Rotowire
Raley (side) will start at first base and bat ninth in Friday's game versus Atlanta.
Raley departed Wednesday's game against the Rays with tightness in his side, but he's feeling well enough to play Friday following the Mariners' off day Thursday. Josh Naylor will begin Friday's festivities on the bench.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Lifted with side tightness
Rotowire
Raley was removed from Wednesday's game against the Rays due to tightness in his side, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
The 30-year-old entered Wednesday's game in the fourth inning for Josh Naylor, but Raley was later taken out of the game himself in the seventh after going 0-for-2 with a strikeout. The Mariners are calling his removal precautionary, however, and he'll receive an additional day to recover before Seattle begins its next series in Atlanta on Friday thanks to Thursday's team day off.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Comes off IL
Rotowire
The Mariners reinstated Raley (back) from the 10-day injured list Friday.
After going 4-for-16 with two homers in four minor-league rehab games, Raley has been given the green light to join the active roster Friday. The 30-year-old has been on the shelf since July 25 due to back spasms. Miles Mastrobuoni was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move. Raley had been seeing regular playing time at first base before sustaining the injury, but the arrival of Josh Naylor likely means Raley will be relegated to a reserve role.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Cleared for rehab assignment
Rotowire
Raley (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.
Raley landed on the 10-day injured list in late July due to back spasms. He started his hitting progression Tuesday, and he's progressed enough in his recovery to embark on a rehab assignment. Raley may need only a weekend stint with Tacoma before being cleared to return to the majors.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Back to hitting
Rotowire
Raley (back) will begin a hitting progression Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Back spasms have kept Raley out of action since July 25, though he wasn't officially placed on the IL until July 30. Assuming his return to hitting goes smoothly, the plan is for him to begin a rehab assignment in the minors over the weekend before returning sometime next week.
The Mariners placed Raley on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with back spasms.
Raley had been dealing with the injury for a few days, and after he made limited improvement, the Mariners decided to deactivate him. He will be eligible to return Aug. 6, but it's not clear whether Raley will be ready to go on that date. Tyler Locklear was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to replace Raley on the 26-man active roster.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Moving to injured list
Rotowire
The Mariners are expected to place Raley on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with back stiffness, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Between his stiff back and the recent acquisition of Josh Naylor, Raley hasn't played in Seattle's last six games. The Mariners will now place him on the injured list to give him all the time he needs to recover, and Tyler Locklear will come up from Triple-A Tacoma to fill the open roster spot.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Losing time after Naylor trade
Rotowire
Raley is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The left-handed-hitting Raley will hit the bench for the fourth game in a row, with Seattle having faced two left-handed and two right-handed starters during that stretch. Raley had previously been holding down a strong-side platoon role, but his opportunities to play against righties will likely be more limited moving forward after Seattle acquired Josh Naylor on Thursday.
Raley went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run during Saturday's 15-7 win over the Tigers.
Raley launched his first home run since June 23 on Saturday, a big three-run homer that busted the game open in the third inning. With one game to go before the All-Star break, the 30-year-old is up to four home runs and 17 RBI on the year, and he is slashing .230/.347/.373 in 151 plate appearances.
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Mariners' Luke Raley: Idle against RHP on Monday
Rotowire
Raley is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
The left-handed-hitting Raley has gotten on base at a .364 clip and has provided three extra-base hits in eight games since returning from the injured list, but he'll nonetheless hit the bench for the second time in the Mariners' last five matchups with a right-handed pitcher (Michael Wacha). Raley still looks to be in good position to hold down a strong-side platoon role for the long haul, but he'll give way at first base Monday to Donovan Solano, who has made it difficult on the Mariners to take his bat out of the lineup. Since June 8, Solano has hit safely in 11 of 14 games while slashing .413/.449/.630 overall.
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