Raleigh Gets Rest Day, Mariners Balance Lineup

It's March 31st, I'm Corey with the story, and this is MLB News Today, your AI-powered

baseball briefing.

Cal Raleigh, the Mariners star catcher, sat out Monday night's game against Aaron

Judge and the Yankees at T-Mobile Park.

He's off to a rough start this season with 10 strikeouts in the first four games, tying

a team record for early whiffs.

Manager Dan Wilson gave him a full day off for rest, something rare this soon for Raleigh,

who started nearly every game last year.

Last season, Raleigh didn't get his first complete off day until June 8th, and he crushed

60 homers while playing deep into the playoffs.

This time, Wilson had Mitch Garber catching, with Raleigh available off the bench, but he

never entered the game.

Coming out of spring training, Raleigh played catch-up after missing 18 days for the world

baseball classic.

He only got three games for Team USA, going hitless with six strikeouts, and couldn't

stick to his usual routine in shared venues.

The Mariners have depth at designated hitter now, puttuning Rob Refsnider against lefties

and dominant canzone versus righties, so no spot for Raleigh.

There like last year, Wilson called it a smart move to ease his workload early.

That rest day offers a mental and physical reset for Raleigh, who's always chased pitches

but broke through with a single and RBI double over the weekend.

With the line of balance, Seattle can keep him fresh for the long haul ahead.