Mariners’ Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor undergo offseason surgery

The assumptions were there during the season, the questions asked after. Monday morning came the answers as the Seattle Mariners announced the two players who struggled the most at the plate in ’26 had undergone surgeries, both performed at the University of Washington Medical Center on Oct. 3.

Cal Raliegh underwent a left shoulder acromioclavicular debridement procedure performed by Dr. Albert Gee. He is expected to be fully recovered prior to the start of spring training.

Josh Naylor required triangular fibrocartilage complex repair surgery on his right wrist which was performed by Dr. Jerry Huang. He is also expected to be fully recovered prior to the start of spring training.

For Raleigh, who also dealt with a right oblique strain that required time on the injured list, the procedure he underwent last week was essentially a shoulder cleanup. While it was clear the oblique played a part in his first-half struggles, Raleigh finished on a positive note, finishing just outside the top 40 in second half fWAR and 67th out of 164 qualified batters in OPS.

The story was different for Naylor, who was observed shaking out his right hand at the plate and wincing after some swings throughout much of the season. He too was dealing with wear and tear and it worsened as the season progressed, but he insisted on playing through.

“I think everyone plays through pain,” he told the media at his locker the final week of the season. “Everyone wants to play baseball, play at the highest level, and play at your best capability. Whether it’s 50% that day, give all your 50. Whether it’s 20, give your 20. But I don’t really like to use that as an excuse. If you’re not willing to play through pain, this is the wrong job.”

With his swing and the drop of his left hand there is little doubt there was a good amount of pain associated with playing through. The results, however, were not close to typical in terms of power with Naylor posting the eighth-worst slugging (.350) among qualified hitters and hitting just 10 home runs, which included just two coming after June 12. General manager Justin Hollander, during an appearance on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, pointed to a different contribution Naylor made, however.

“Obviously, I think he dealt with some physical maladies that made it tough for him to get into his power,” he said. “I will give him credit. He found a way to get hits from May 1st on. He was one of the leaders in a hit for average in the league. He found a way to contribute to the team in a positive way, in a very Luis Arráez kind of way with a lot of hits and a lot of stolen bases and trying to do the best he could.”

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