SEATTLE — An advertisement featuring Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh played on the T-Mobile Park videoboard as the Yankees slugger took batting practice before Monday night’s game between New York and Seattle.
Judge, the defending AL MVP, batted second in the Yankees lineup, while Raleigh — who finished second in MVP voting last season after launching 60 home runs, a record for catchers — found himself on the bench for the series opener.
Despite being benched and starting the season with just two hits in 15 at-bats along with 10 strikeouts, Raleigh emerged as the game’s hero. He entered as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and delivered a walk-off single down the first-base line in the ninth, securing a 2-1 victory for Seattle.
“I was just looking for something hard over the heart of the plate,” Raleigh explained. “It cut in on my hands a little bit, but I was able to keep it fair.”
Mariners manager Dan Wilson explained his decision to rest Raleigh, who participated in three World Baseball Classic games for Team USA, saying he wanted to manage the catcher’s workload early in the season.
“Coming out of spring training, he had sort of a shorter spring training in a lot of ways,” Wilson noted. “And, didn’t want to spike his workload too much.”
During his outstanding 2025 campaign, Raleigh set career highs with 159 games played and 705 plate appearances while leading the American League with 125 RBIs. Judge, speaking with The Associated Press before arriving in Seattle, praised Raleigh’s dedication after they were teammates during the WBC.
“Greatness leaves a trail,” Judge commented. “Just how he controls himself, how he controls that pitching staff, he’s going to have another great year, that’s for sure.”
Despite his remarkable previous season, the 29-year-old Raleigh experienced a slow start in 2025 as well. His batting average didn’t reach .200 until his 10th game, and he didn’t begin his home run surge until mid-April.
This history helps explain why Raleigh remains calm about his current struggles and those of teammates Josh Naylor (0 for 19) and Julio Rodríguez (1 for 19).
“It’ll be OK. I know a lot of people in that locker room, a lot of guys across the league are fighting the same thing,” Raleigh said. “They’re trying to find timing. And, it’s under a microscope more so now than it is in the middle of a season just because it’s the start of the season, everybody’s excited.”
Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, a former major league catcher for a decade, believes Raleigh’s hitting achievements overshadow his complete skill set. Vogt considers him the premier two-way catcher in baseball today, though he cautions against unrealistic expectations following last year’s historic performance.
“For him to hit 60 homers again is unrealistic,” Vogt stated. “I think if anybody’s expectation is 50-plus homers for anyone, it’s just not realistic. But, I think Cal’s still a great offensive player, and I think he’s going to have another great year.”
While matching Babe Ruth’s 1927 record of 60 home runs — which stood for 34 years — may be unlikely, Raleigh has reached at least 30 homers in each of the past three seasons. The Mariners hope their All-Star catcher can maintain that level of production in 2026.
Wilson revealed that Seattle carefully tracked Raleigh’s workload last season, monitoring for any decline in performance. However, his production never wavered, and he didn’t miss his first start at catcher or designated hitter until the team’s 35th game.
This year, Wilson has adopted a more preventative strategy — and saw immediate benefits.
“We’re trying to assess this as we go and make sure that we don’t put him in a tough spot,” Wilson explained. “I think he’s a hard guy to get out of the lineup because he wants to be in there so badly. But, I think it just felt like today was a good day to get him some rest.”
