Mariners OF Luke Raley set to start rehab stint in Triple-A

Seattle Mariners outfielder/first baseman Luke Raley will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday night, Seattle Sports Mariners insider Shannon Drayer reported on social media.

MLB Draft insider Mayo details Seattle Mariners’ options at No. 3 overall

Raley has been out with a Grade 1 right oblique strain since April 28.

General manager Justin Hollander said May 27 that Raley would need at least one week on a rehab assignment and that he would play both the outfield and first base during the stint.

Raley was an opening-day starter for the Mariners this season and one of their best offensive pieces a year ago. The left-handed-hitting slugger slashed .243/.320/.463 with 19 doubles, 22 home runs, 58 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 137 games last season.

Raley was off to bit a of slow start before hitting the injured list this year. He was slashing just .206/.345/.324 with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs and two stolen bases in 24 games. However, Raley was still excelling against right-handed pitching with a .255/.391/.400 slash line and all four of extra-base hits.

With Raley out, the Mariners have struggled to find production from both right field and first base. The club ranks 28th in the league with a 67 wRC+ (100 is league average) from right fielders and 22nd with an 87 wRC+ from first baseman.

Seattle is also without right fielder Victor Robles, who isn’t expected to return until at least September due to a broken bone and dislocation in his right shoulder.

The news on Raley is one of few positive developments of late for a Mariners squad that’s gone 1-8 while losing its past three series and 11-20 over its past 31 games. The club has fallen to four games back of the Astros in the AL West during the slide.

The Mariners begin a six-game homestand with a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at 7:10 p.m. Friday. Radio coverage begins with the pregame show on 710 AM Seattle Sports and the Seattle Sports app at 6 p.m.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Seattle Mariners’ Logan Gilbert shines during strong third rehab start
• Morosi: Mariners’ biggest need? ‘Address the rotation first’
• The sliding Mariners’ problem is that there’s many of them
• ‘Donnie Barrels’ lives: Solano hits his first Seattle Mariners homer
• A Ryan O’Hearn trade for Seattle Mariners ‘should not break the bank’

Related

Scherzer, Blue Jays blank Mariners 7-0 to sweep seriesRed Sox get two key returns ahead of series against MarinersMariners place Emerson Hancock on the 15-day ILEx-Mariners OF Kelenic signs minor league deal with YankeesMariners fall to Blue Jays 4-3 in Kade Anderson’s 2nd startMariners Notebook: The latest on Hancock and Donovan