Cal, J.P. officially back for Mariners; one player sent down

Catcher Jhonny Pereda has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to clear room on the roster for the two big returns.

Jun 16, 2026, 2:05 PM Updated: 3:45 pm

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The Seattle Mariners are getting two big returns in time for their six-game homestand, with All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh and starting shortstop J.P. Crawford both activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday afternoon.

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The M’s also optioned catcher Jhonny Pereda to Triple-A Tacoma to create space on the 26-man roster, which was down to 25 after Seattle optioned infielder Patrick Wisdom to Tacoma a day earlier.

The fact that Tuesday’s roster moves didn’t include other players going on the injured list appears to be a good sign. Three All-Stars – closer Andrés Muñoz, left fielder Randy Arozarena and first baseman Josh Naylor – all left games over the weekend in Washington, D.C., with injury concerns.

Raleigh and Crawford being activated was expected for Tuesday, with Raleigh’s return confirmed himself to The Seattle Times on Monday.

The Mariners placed Raleigh on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain on May 14, while Crawford went on the 10-day IL with a right hand contusion on June 8 (retroactive to June 6) after he was hit by a pitch.

Raleigh blasted an MLB-leading 60 home runs last year but sputtered to a slow start this season before landing on the IL. He slashed .161/.243/.317 for a .560 OPS with seven homers in 41 games for Seattle, including a career-long 0-for-38 slump at one point.

The 29-year-old Raleigh seemed to be locked in on a minor league rehab assignment last week, as he went 7 for 17 with five home runs in five games (four with Triple-A Tacoma and one with High-A Everett). All five of Raleigh’s homers came with Tacoma, and he had two multi-homer games for the Rainiers.

Crawford is slashing .228/.356/.409 for a .766 OPS with 10 home runs in 55 games this season, which puts him on pace to eclipse his career-high of 19 homers from 2023. He was heating up before landing on the IL, hitting .351 with four homers and a double in his past 10 games.

With Crawford out of action, the Mariners turned to rookie Colt Emerson to move over from third base to play shortstop. Emerson also missed time last week with a back issue, so the Mariners had usual second baseman Cole Young move over to short in those games. Young, who like Emerson came up through the minors as a shortstop, also filled in as Seattle’s leadoff hitter in Crawford’s absence.

The 30-year-old Pereda has been a bright spot in his first season with Seattle, hitting .270 with a .324 on-base percentage and two home runs in 19 games. While there was speculation that the Mariners could keep Pereda on the roster as a third catcher, Seattle ultimately decided to use his minor league option to its benefit. Seattle also has veteran catcher Mitch Garver, who does not have minor league options, on the active roster.

The Mariners (37-36 record) enter Tuesday in first place in the AL West by a half-game over the Athletics. The M’s will open their homestand against the Baltimore Orioles at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, with Mariners Radio Network coverage on Seattle Sports beginning at 5:30 with the pregame show.