The Seattle Mariners’ rough season has plenty of moving parts, but one of the clearest explanations for Cal Raleigh’s slump may trace back to the World Baseball Classic.
Bench coach Manny Acta said in a recent appearance on MLB Now, as excerpted in an article by Zac Hereth for Seattle Sports, that Raleigh was dealing with the oblique issue from the beginning of the season. Acta also said Raleigh tried to make up for the at-bats he missed in spring training while playing for Team USA in the WBC, and that the extra work led to the strain.
That matters because Raleigh’s season has gone sideways in a hurry. After finishing second in American League MVP voting last year and smashing 60 home runs - an MLB single-season record for a catcher and a switch hitter - he has not come close to that level in 2025. Through 62 games, he’s hitting .168/.266/.315 with a .581 OPS, along with seven doubles, nine home runs and 29 RBIs.
The injury cost him a month, too. Raleigh was on the injured list from May 14-June 16 with a right oblique strain, and he still hasn’t fully shaken the effects of that slow start. In Seattle’s latest series against the Miami Marlins, he went 3-for-12 with two doubles and an RBI.
Acta’s remarks line up with a theory that’s been floating around for a while. On the Refuse to Lose podcast, hosted by Roundtable Sports’ Brady Farkas, ESPN insider Buster Olney pointed to the number of players who have struggled this season after taking part in the international tournament.
“The more people I talk to, the more that I believe that (the WBC) was a huge factor for the Mariners, for the Kansas City Royals, for the Boston Red Sox, for the Toronto Blue Jays," Olney said on the podcast. " ...
Hitters are creatures of habit. They got into spring training and they're used to having - you show up at (7 a.m.), you have your breakfast, you go out, you take some rounds of hitting, maybe do some defense, and then you take some more swings and more swings and you gradually work your way in.
What changed this spring in the WBC is the hours available to players to prepare. Cal was affected by that.
I'm absolutely convinced of that. I think (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) was affected by that."
The Mariners, meanwhile, are trying to steady themselves after being swept by the Miami Marlins. The three straight losses dropped Seattle to 47-47 and left it a half-game behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West.
With one series left before the All-Star Break - a three-game set against the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays - the Mariners are still searching for the version of the season they expected after last year’s run to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.
For Raleigh, the encouraging sign is that Acta said the oblique issue is behind him. If he comes out of the break fully refreshed, Seattle has reason to believe the 2025 All-Star can look more like himself in the second half.
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