Luke Raley has been odd man out since Mariners’ Naylor trade

The addition of Josh Naylor was good news for the Seattle Mariners. Well, for all but seemingly one of them.

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First baseman/outfielder Luke Raley has become the odd man out since the Mariners acquired Naylor in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Raley’s only appearance since the trade came the night it happened, when he was used as a defensive replacement in right field during the ninth inning. Naylor reported to the team the following day, and Raley hasn’t played since.

Raley again wasn’t in the Mariners’ lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Athletics and right-hander Luis Severino in West Sacramento, marking the sixth straight game without Raley in the starting lineup.

Even before the trade, the left-handed hitting Raley’s playing time could fluctuate due to his role as a platoon player. And the Mariners did face three left-handers over their past five games, yet Raley was absent from the lineup in their matchups against right-handers and again against Severino on Tuesday.

Mariners’ addition of Josh Naylor looks great in two surprising ways

The addition of Naylor clearly took away Raley’s playing time at first base, where he’s appeared at in 24 of his 49 games played this season. But it’s also been the emergence of Dominic Canzone that’s eaten into Raley’s potential playing time in right field, as both serve essentially the same role as the left-handed side of a platoon.

After tearing up Triple-A, Canzone entered Tuesday slashing .289/.333/.496 with seven doubles, six home runs and 15 RBIs in 40 games since being promoted June 9. It’s the best stretch of the 27-year-old Canzone’s three-year big league career.

Meanwhile, Raley (who missed nearly two months with an oblique strain) has struggled to replicate the numbers he had last year when he was one of Seattle’s most productive hitters. In 49 games this season, Raley is slashing .220/.343/.348 with six doubles, four home runs and 18 RBIs.

The Mariners continue their three-game series with the Athletics at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday night. Radio coverage begins at 6 p.m. with the pregame show on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Mariners

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• Who M’s are jockeying with for Eugenio Suárez on trade market
• Dipoto: Seattle Mariners to be ‘aggressive’ in bullpen trade market
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