Cal Raleigh out of lineup again; Gabe Speier lands on IL | Mariners notebook

SEATTLE – Another day of foreboding injury news for the Mariners.

All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh is out of the lineup for a third day in a row Monday as he continues to manage a sore right side, and top left-handed reliever Gabe Speier was placed on the 15-day injured list because of what the team is calling left shoulder inflammation.

The Mariners have not ruled out a potential 10-day IL stint for Raleigh, who initially tweaked his right side Friday night. The team has not provided any details on the results of an MRI taken on Raleigh’s side over the weekend.

Raleigh said Sunday he was hoping to avoid the first IL stint of his career. The Mariners, though, are playing with a short-handed bench while they wait for him to recover.

“He’s testing himself a little bit more (pregame Monday),” M’s manager Dan Wilson said before Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves at T-Mobile Park. “We’ll have more information once we see how he feels after we’ve done some work today, and a decision will be forthcoming here in the next day or so.”

Speier joins Matt Brash as two vital bullpen arms on the IL. Brash was placed on the IL on Friday because of lat inflammation.

Speier was one of the most valuable relievers in baseball in 2025, appearing in a team-high 76 games with a 2.61 ERA and an 82-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 62 innings.

He then appeared in seven of the Mariners’ 12 postseason games in October, then had a truncated offseason as he prepared to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Speier did not appear in any games of the three-game series vs. Kansas City over the weekend. He hasn’t pitched since last Wednesday.

“It’s something that, I think, he has been lingering on him a little bit,” Wilson said. “And just thought it was a good time to take a little rest here and give it the time that it needs.”

Speier is the 10th Mariners player on the IL, joining Brash (15-day), third baseman Brendan Donovan (10-day), starting pitcher Bryce Miller (15-day), outfielder Victor Robles (10-day), reliever Carlos Vargas (15-day), infielders Miles Mastrobuoni (60-day) and Will Wilson (10-day) and starting pitcher Logan Evans (out for the season after having elbow surgery in January).

The Mariners added two lefties to the bullpen Monday to take Speier’s spot.

Veteran lefty José Suarez, claimed off waivers from Atlantan on Sunday, reported to the Mariners on Monday, and lefty Josh Simpson was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.

Right-hander Cole Wilcox was optioned to Tacoma to create space on the roster.