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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MAY 06: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners reacts against the Atlanta Braves at T-Mobile Park on May 06, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The Seattle Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-2 on Wednesday, setting up a series finale on Thursday evening that will decide the series.

Across the first two games, Cal Raleigh went 1-for-6 at the plate with one walk while starting both games at catcher.

Ahead of Thursday’s 4:10 p.m. ET first pitch, Mariners manager Dan Wilson made a notable lineup change for a matchup featuring starting pitchers Framber Valdez for Detroit and Bryce Miller for Seattle.

Mariners Announce Raleigh Change

With a quick turnaround Friday as the Mariners prepare to face the Tampa Bay Rays, Wilson decided to keep Raleigh out of the starting lineup for Thursday’s series finale against Detroit.

Instead, Jhonny Pereda will start at catcher, while Dominic Canzone will serve as the designated hitter — a role Raleigh typically fills when he’s not behind the plate.

Here’s the full Mariners lineup:

Mariners 8/6

T. Ward RF
R. Arozarena LF
D. Canzone DH
J. Rodríguez CF
C. Young 2B
W. Wilson 1B
J. Pereda C
L. Rivas 3B
C. Emerson SS

B. Miller SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 6, 2026

Raleigh’s 2026 Season

After what was such an historic campaign last season for Raleigh, which saw him finish second in MVP voting and lead the MLB in both home runs (60) and RBIs (125), this season has been a drastic drop off.

Across 82 games and 302 at bats, Raleigh is batting below the Mendoza line at .162 and has recorded just 49 hits, 12 home runs, and 43 RBIs, while slugging .308 and maintaining an OPS of .574.

Mariners Right Now

For Seattle, they haven’t been perfect by any stretch, but they remain firmly in the hunt for an American League playoff spot.

They’re 55-59 entering Thursday, which has then placed third in the AL West, which is 2.5 games out of the division and just 1.0 game back of a Wild Card spot.

Cole Sullivan Cole Sullivan is a sports journalist for Heavy.com covering the NFL, NBA, college football, and college basketball. A member of the United States Basketball Writers Association, he has written for FanSided, Athlon Sports, The Sporting News, and Newsweek. Sullivan earned an Associate degree from Franklin Pierce University and a Bachelor’s degree from Lynn University, where he studied Communications and Media Studies with a focus on Sports Journalism. More about Cole Sullivan