The Mariners are about to start the second leg of their long east-coast road trip, and they’ll do so with some extra offensive help: Luke Raley has been reinstated from the IL after dealing with back spasms.
In four games at Tacoma, Raley recorded four hits in his 18 plate appearances, along with one walk and nine strikeouts. He also hit two home runs, showing his power is back after dealing with some core injuries—first his oblique, then his back—this season. Before hitting the IL for a second time, Raley hadn’t quite hit his stride the same way he did in his career year in 2024, missing the slug he had then; hopefully his big flies in Tacoma indicate he’s feeling well enough to provide a power surge for a Mariners lineup that’s been slumping a little in that department over the past week.
In order to make room for Raley on the roster, Miles Mastrobuoni has been sent back to Tacoma. I’ll say it again: Mastro—or Master Boney, or Mister Bunny as my Otter transcription app likes to call him—is the kind of player championship teams need. He’s the quiet contributor who might not do a lot at the plate, but he can come up with a pinch-hit sac bunt, steal a bag, or contribute defensively all over the field. He’s getting the short end of the stick here because he has options, but at some point the team has a tough decision to make as to who is a more valuable contributor to the 2025 Mariners: Miles Mastrobuoni or Dylan Moore.
The Mariners have also recalled LHP Tayler Saucedo from Tacoma, giving them an absolute embarrassment of lefties in the pen (3). Sauce is probably here for a good time rather than a long time, though—the team recalled him to move starter Logan Evans to the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation.
That seems to portend an activation of starter Bryce Miller, who pitched into the sixth inning in his most recent rehab start with Tacoma. Miller threw 76 pitches this past Wednesday—the team had been hoping to get him to 85—and was perfect against the Athletics affiliate in Vegas (one of the hardest places to pitch in all of minor-league baseball) through his first four innings before giving up a leadoff walk in the fifth and later a two-out RBI double. Former big-leaguer Nick Martini hit a home run off Miller in the sixth, pulling a 3-1 fastball down and in just into the bullpen in a Vegas air-aided solo shot; the exit velocity was a mere 93 mph. The next hitter grounded out but hit the ball hard, scorching it at 107.7 mph, ending Miller’s day.
Overall, it was a successful outing for Miller, who struck out four and gave up just the one walk, but he did seem to run out of steam there in the sixth inning. Still, it seems like the organization is pleased enough with his progress to make room for him in the rotation; the Mariners haven’t set their rotation yet for Philly, but Miller would be on track to take over Evans’s spot, with an extra day of rest, on that Tuesday.
One other injury update for today: Josh Naylor was a late scratch from today’s game. According to Shannon Drayer, there’s an illness going through the clubhouse and Naylor appears to be its latest victim.