SEATTLE – Add another name to the list of Mariners starters stuck on the injured list.
And don’t expect to see outfielder/first baseman Luke Raley again until sometime in June.
Raley was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday after suffering an oblique strain during early batting practice the previous day. General manager Justin Hollander said Raley will be down for at least six weeks, another blow to a lineup that’s already missing several key pieces.
“I know (Raley) will fight through it as best as he can. He’s probably one of the toughest players I’ve ever been around, but he can’t out-tough a Grade 1 oblique strain,” Hollander said. “So we’ll shut him down, hopefully get him back as soon as possible. But you got to be careful with these and six weeks is kind of a minimum at this point where we feel it’s headed.”
Raley was in noticeable discomfort after taking a swing on the field about four hours before the first pitch of Tuesday’s game against the Angels. Root Sports cameras caught Raley dropping to a knee after taking the swing and walking off the field clutching his right side.
Raley was scratched from the lineup and underwent imaging, which revealed the extent of the injury. Raley said it was one swing and didn’t feel anything abnormal leading up to the moment he felt a pop in his side.
“I really was feeling perfectly fine. Took one swing and, like, felt the pop and just something I’ve never really felt before,” Raley said. “Wasn’t even super painful. It was more just like you knew something wasn’t right when you feel a popping on either side.”
The M’s selected outfielder Rhylan Thomas from Triple-A Tacoma to take Raley’s spot on the roster. Thomas was hitting .319 with a .725 OPS for the Rainiers.
The Mariners have used 37 players in 29 games, behind only Atlanta’s 38 players used. Thomas will become No. 38 when he makes his major league debut.
Raley becomes another Mariners player from the opening day roster to land on the injured list joining a group that includes starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (flexor strain), second baseman Ryan Bliss (torn biceps), right fielder Victor Robles (shoulder dislocation), reliever Gregory Santos (knee surgery) and utility man Dylan Moore (hip inflammation).“We’re really beat up right now, but … no one’s going to feel sorry for us, so we’ll do everything we can to give these guys the best chance,” Hollander said.
Moore’s is the least severe of the injuries, and Hollander said he is expected to return next week when the Mariners play the A’s in Sacramento. Bliss is likely done for the season, Robles won’t be back until July at the earliest, and Gilbert could be out until June.
Raley moved into the everyday role in right field after Robles was injured making a spectacular catch in San Francisco on April 6. Raley has started 14 games in right field this season with one in center field, three at first base and three as the designated hitter.
Raley is hitting .206 with two homers, eight RBI and a .669 OPS.
“I’ve only ever had one other muscle strain and that was in my quad, which is obviously completely different. They just said obliques are so unpredictable. Sometimes they heal really quick and sometimes they linger and take a while,” Raley said. “So it’s just more like you can’t really start doing anything until just the symptom of when I’m standing here or, like cough or sneeze – it’s really painful – and until that calms down you just got to kind of wait.”
Samad Taylor started in right field for the finale of the brief two-game series with the Angels. Some combo of Taylor, Thomas, Miles Mastrobuoni and Moore when he returns are likely to hold down right field for the foreseeable future.
“We’re considering a lot of different things, obviously, for now,” Hollander said. “the group will come together on the field and they will grind through it and make it work.”
Pitchers get closer
George Kirby and Matt Brash are moving closer to significant decisions in their respective injury recoveries.
Hollander sat in the empty seats of T-Mobile Park on Monday and watched Kirby’s live batting practice session and came away agreeing with the pitcher that he was “nasty.”
“He was awesome. He was fantastic. Looks like he could start a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend. How he progresses through that rehab assignment will be a lot determined on how he feels as he goes through it,” Hollander said. “But he looks great. He feels great right now. So really excited about where George is at.”
Brash threw at home for Tacoma on Sunday and again on Tuesday night when the Rainiers opened a series in Las Vegas. He’s made six appearances overall for the Rainiers as part of his rehab assignment as Brash moves closer to a return following Tommy John surgery.“We’ll assess where he’s at and see if we feel like he needs more rehab time or he’s ready for major league activation, depending on how he feels coming out of the two outings in three days,” Hollander said. “So very close. Getting very close.”
Thomas arrives
When he appears in a game, Thomas will become the fourth player to make their major league debut with the Mariners this season.
Thomas was an 11th-round pick of the New York Mets in 2022 but landed in the M’s organization after being part of the trade that sent Ryne Stanek to New York last season.
Thomas, 25, is hitting .300 through his minor league career and impressively has more walks (88) than strikeouts (86) during the parts of four seasons in the minors .
He got the call around 3 p.m. on Tuesday while in Las Vegas that he was needed back in Seattle, but didn’t show up at the ballpark until Wednesday morning.
“I kind of got the chills, honestly,” Thomas said. “You know, stepping into a ballpark like this, knowing that you’re going to be a big leaguer in it is something that’s amazing.”