The Mariners announced that catcher Cal Raleigh And Josh Naylor underwent surgery on October 3. Both players are expected to be healthy before the start of spring training. Raleigh underwent an acromioclavicular (AC) debridement procedure on his left shoulder. Naylor underwent triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) repair surgery on his right wrist.
Both players lost years. Raleigh hit 23 home runs, but that was well short of the 60 he hit the year before. His batting average and on-base percentage both dropped about 60 points from 2025. He finished 2026 with a .182/.296/.368 line and 95 wRC+, a far cry from his .247/.359/.589 line and 161 wRC+ from the previous campaign. His defensive metrics were also down. He has 28 defensive runs saved and 36 field points worth in his career, but he has been credited with minus-6 DRS and minus-4 FRV in 2026.
He hit a little better coming off an oblique injury early in the season. Raleigh initially battled the illness before eventually going on the injured list in May. He hit .161/.243/.317 before this IL stint and .193/.324/.397 afterward. This last line is still not great but is at least an improvement over the first. It was also above league average, despite the low batting average. Thanks to the solid on-base rate and some power, Raleigh had a wRC+ of 111 after his reinstatement.
Raleigh and the Mariners know he is capable of doing more. It’s unrealistic to expect a 60-homer season every year, but Raleigh averaged about 30 homers per year from 2022-2024 while hitting .222/.303/.457 for a 117 wRC+. This shoulder injury had not been previously reported, but it may have combined with the oblique injury to drag Raleigh down.
Naylor didn’t play on the IL this year, but wrist soreness caused him to miss a few losing games throughout the season. His offensive production was down across the board. He hit 20 home runs in 2025, but that number was cut in half in 2026. His batting average and walk rate also declined. He finished the year with a .261/.317/.350 slash line and 95 wRC+, all numbers well south of last year’s .295/.353/.462 line and 128 wRC+.
The players are key pieces for the Mariners, as they both signed guaranteed deals through 2030 with eight-figure annual salaries. Seattle fell short of expectations in 2026 and will need Raleigh and Naylor to produce more in 2027 if they want to return to the playoffs.
In the short term, there doesn’t appear to be much drama regarding availability, as both are expected to be picked up this offseason. A setback could always change things, but it appears the Mariners can focus on trying to get healthy seasons out of both players in 2027.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Gn sports
