Raleigh takes the next step toward returning to the Mariners, beginning his first career rehab start.

This is also a completely fresh experience for Cal Raleigh.

The Seattle Mariners' standout catcher is facing a lengthy injury for the first time in his MLB career. He was placed on the injured list for the first time, left the team for a week during the season for the first time, and now he is taking the first steps toward his return.

Today, he experienced his first career rehab game, representing High-A Everett against Eugene.

Raleigh swung at the first pitch he saw, sending a fly ball deep to right field that nearly left the ballpark. He struck out in his second at-bat, then grounded a single through the left side of the infield in the sixth inning, finishing the game 1-for-3 with three plate appearances from the left side.

"It felt good," Raleigh said. "I thought my timing would be a lot worse today than it actually was, but it was better than I expected. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with how things went today."

This marked his first game at Funko Field since 2018. Back then, Raleigh was selected in the third round of the draft and began his career with 38 games in Everett—then the Mariners' short-season affiliate. Fittingly, the AquaSox gave him jersey No. 33 today, the same number he wore during that first summer in Everett, before he became one of baseball's brightest stars.

Now, attention turns to Raleigh's next steps. Minor league teams have an off day tomorrow, and he will move his rehab assignment 65 miles south to Triple-A Tacoma. The Rainiers open a six-game homestand at Cheney Stadium the day after. Raleigh currently plans to catch the first game, though he almost certainly won't play the full nine innings, but he has no set innings target.

"Designated hitter is a little easier because you don't have to worry about both sides of the ball... so you can adjust on the fly," Raleigh said. "When you're catching, you have to have a plan and stick to it."

Raleigh will remain with the Rainiers for the rest of this week to gradually regain his form. If everything goes smoothly without any setbacks, he could rejoin the Mariners when they return to Seattle for a home series against the Baltimore Orioles on June 16, providing a boost to a team that holds a 1.5-game lead in the AL West entering tomorrow.

"We'll keep monitoring it and hope to keep improving," Raleigh said. "I think today was a step in the right direction, and that's good."

The Mariners are also hoping Raleigh can quickly rediscover his hot streak. He had a slow start to the season, batting just .186 before his injury, and after a stretch of 38 consecutive at-bats without a hit, his slash line upon entering the injured list was .161/.243/.317.

During the 24 days Raleigh was on the injured list, the Mariners went 13-9 without him. Jhonny Pereda and Mitch Garver combined for a .257 batting average with a .761 OPS, while the pitching staff posted a 3.23 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over that span. The two essentially alternated starts, but Pereda—who is on a six-game hitting streak, raising his average from .185 to .292—started both games for the Mariners in Detroit over the weekend.

With Raleigh's return imminent, the question turns to whether Pereda has done enough to remain on the major league roster once Raleigh is back. The Mariners could decide to carry three catchers while Raleigh gradually works back into a starter's workload, but that would require adjustments elsewhere—either from the right-field rotation or from Patrick Wisdom, who is currently the only infielder on the bench.