Mariners Announce Surgeries For Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor

The Mariners announced that catcher Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor underwent surgical procedures on October 3. Both players are expected to be recovered before the start of spring training. Raleigh underwent a left shoulder acromioclavicular (AC) debridement procedure. Naylor underwent triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) repair surgery on his right wrist. Both players are coming off down years. Raleigh did hit 23 home runs but that was well shy of the 60 he hit the year prior. His batting average and on-base percentage both dropped by about 60 points compared to 2025. He ended 2026 with a .182/.296/.368 line and 95 wRC+, nowhere close to his .247/.359/.589 line and 161 wRC+ from the previous campaign. His defensive metrics were way down as well. He has 28 Defensive Runs Saved and a 36 Fielding Run Value in his career but he was credited with minus-6 DRS and minus-4 FRV in 2026. He did hit a bit better as he moved away from an early-season oblique injury. Raleigh initially battled through that ailment before eventually landing on the injured list in May. He hit .161/.243/.317 before that IL stint and .193/.324/.397 after. The latter line still isn’t great but was at least an improvement over the first one. It was also above league par, despite the low batting average. Thanks to the solid on-base rate and some power, Raleigh had a wRC+ of 111 after reinstatement. Both Raleigh and the Mariners know that he is capable of more. It’s not realistic to expect a 60-homer season every year but Raleigh averaged roughly 30 homers per year from 2022 to 2024 while hitting a combined .222/.303/.457 for a 117 wRC+. This shoulder injury wasn’t previously reported but perhaps it combined with the oblique injury to drag Raleigh down. Naylor didn’t go on the IL this year but the wrist soreness did cause him to miss a few stray 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 ticked down. 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 building blocks for the Mariners, as they are both signed to deals that are guaranteed through 2030 with eight-figure annual salaries. Seattle fell well short of expectations in 2026 and will need Raleigh and Naylor to produce more in 2027 if they are to get back into the postseason. For the short term, it doesn’t sound as though there’s a ton of drama about availability since both are expected to be recovered during the offseason. A setback could always change things but it sounds as though the Mariners can focus on trying to get fully healthy seasons from both players in 2027. Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images View Comments (18)