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The Seattle Mariners moved star catcher Cal Raleigh down in the order for the final game of the series against the Chicago White Sox. The Mariners offense struggled this weekend, posting back to back games with only scoring one run. Raleigh continues to try and find his footing this season. He bats .161/.244/.329 with 7 home runs.

Seattle Mariners Manager Dan Wilson addressed the change with the media prior to the game on Sunday. He said, “Just kind of jumbling up at the top a little bit, it’s not like it’s a huge change. It’s still the same four guys up there, just looking at a little different order. It sets us up a little bit differently.”

With Raleigh batting in the 4 spot, Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor move up in the lineup. Randy Arozarena remains at the 5 spot. Rodríguez and Naylor have gotten out of their slumps and are currently the team’s hottest hitters.

Seattle Mariners Cal Raleigh Nurses Injury Amid Slow Start

GettySeattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh missed three games due to general soreness.

For Raleigh, the beginning of 2026 remains a trying portion of his career so far. Coming off a legendary MVP contending 60 home run season, Raleigh’s standards increased dramatically.

He said, “I have high expectations for myself. I haven’t quite lived up to what I want to do. And obviously, that’s frustrating. But at the same time, I need to realize that I need to have better at-bats and try to help the team out more than worry about anything else that comes as far as my stats or stuff like that.”

However, Raleigh considers his struggles to be more mental than physical, despite missing three games due to general soreness on the last homestand.

He said, “For me, it’s more on the mental side than it is trying to physically change something. I’m just trying to battle and compete and not worry about the rest of the stuff and try to get back to being more process-oriented.”

Seattle Mariners Manager Dan Wilson Calms Any Sense of Doubt

GettySeattle Mariners Manager Dan Wilson continues to have Cal Raleigh’s back.

For Wilson, he sees the progress Raleigh makes at the plate despite the lack of immediate results. As Raleigh continues to force deeper at bats, the closer he gets to being the player the Seattle Mariners expect him to be.

Wilson said, “The last couple of days, we’ve seen some deeper at-bats. We’ve seen some pitches where he’s just kind of missed, and I feel like it’s getting real close for him. I know he continues to put in the work and keeps working at it. He is trying to find that thing that’s going to make a big difference.”

Being a former player, Wilson understand the process of what it takes to be successful even when the outcomes are unsatisfactory.

He said, “You could go around and ask all 26 guys in this room, and at some point they’ve been frustrated with the results, and then they start to look more at the results than the other stuff. Talking with the other guys and coaches, it always goes back to the process and really trusting what you’re doing in the box.”