SEATTLE -- The Mariners haven’t quite reached a point of reckoning when it comes to their extremely populated group on the injured list, especially since they keep winning. But exploring external options to reinforce their position-player nucleus could be on the table, given that outfielder Luke Raley became the latest casualty to the IL on Wednesday morning.
“Considering a lot of different things, obviously,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said. “For now, the group will come together on the field and they will grind through it and make it work. Obviously, we're really beat up right now, but the league stops for no one. There's a game almost every day, and no one's going to feel sorry for us.”
Raley suffered a right oblique strain on a swing during early batting practice on Tuesday that Hollander classified as “Grade 1 to 1-plus,” which comes with a recovery timeline of at least six weeks. And for the fifth time this month, the club made IL-related roster moves ahead of their series finale vs. the Angels.
• OF/1B Luke Raley placed on 10-day injured list (right oblique strain, retroactive to April 28)
• OF Rhylan Thomas selected from Triple-A Tacoma
• RHP Sauryn Lao designated for assignment
Raley was already the fill-in right fielder for Victor Robles, who is out until at least around the All-Star break with a fractured left shoulder. Miles Mastrobuoni, a primary infielder, played there on Tuesday, and Samad Taylor -- who has just 35 games of MLB experience -- was there on Wednesday. Thomas, an 11th-round Draft pick by the Mets in 2022, will be making his MLB debut when he gets into a game.
Dominic Canzone might’ve been the clearer option, but he was just activated from Tacoma’s IL on Tuesday after missing nearly two weeks with mild oblique soreness, and it’s likely that the Mariners want him to get his timing back. Cade Marlowe, meanwhile, is on the IL following back surgery.
Even so, Canzone has been worth -0.4 wins above replacement for his career, per FanGraphs, while Raley and Robles were worth a combined 5.5 WAR in 2024 alone, when they were two of the Mariners’ top five most valuable players by that metric.
“I know [Raley] will fight through it as best as he can,” Hollander said. “He's probably one of the toughest players I've ever been around. But you can't out-tough [an] ... oblique strain, so we'll shut him down, hopefully get him back as soon as possible. But you’ve got to be careful with these.”
And that’s not including other players on the IL, such as utilityman Dylan Moore (right hip inflammation) -- who would’ve been a right-field option and might very well start there when he returns, which could come as soon as Tuesday in West Sacramento, when he’s eligible to be activated.
The Mariners have already had to make a long-term fix at second base when Ryan Bliss suffered what is likely to be a season-ending injury (torn left biceps), though the club’s reinforcements there -- Mastrobuoni and Leo Rivas -- came with a more stable track record.
“Watching these guys in spring, you can tell everybody came in so confident, with kind of a reset from last year,” Raley said. “And, yeah, I mean, you could just see that there was so much more confidence and stuff like that. So, yeah, this is exactly what I expected. I think our offense has been fantastic.”
Raley added that the oblique issue comes with some unknown, given that he’s never dealt with such an injury.
“Sometimes they heal really quick, and sometimes they linger and take a while,” Raley said. “So it's just more like I can't really start doing anything until just the symptom of, when I'm standing here, or like coughing or sneezing, it's really painful. Until that calms down, I've just got to kind of wait.”
Beyond the lineup, Seattle is also without All-Star starting pitchers Logan Gilbert (right elbow flexor strain) and George Kirby (right shoulder inflammation), though Kirby could begin a Minor League rehab assignment as soon as this weekend. In their absences, Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans -- Seattle’s No. 10 prospect -- have been the primary fill-ins, with decent success over their past three combined starts.
The Mariners have, remarkably, been able to withstand their onslaught of injuries -- entering Wednesday having won an MLB-best 13 of their past 17 games. But the club is also cognizant of how quickly depth can be tested and is tailoring its approach to roster construction as such.