Mariners’ Cal Raleigh back in the lineup

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh returned to the starting lineup Tuesday after missing three games due to a sore right side.

He was in his normal No. 2 spot for Seattle, serving as the designated hitter. In his return, Raleigh went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, lowering his batting average to .180.

“As we talked about with side injuries, you have to be really, really careful,” manager Dan Wilson said.

Raleigh began experiencing soreness on his right side following Friday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals and was a late scratch Saturday.

Raleigh said there wasn’t a specific moment Friday when he felt the injury happen and that he was “playing it safe” on the recommendation of the team’s training staff. He had an MRI on Saturday to check for structural damage.

Following Monday’s 5-4 victory over the major league-leading Atlanta Braves, Wilson said a decision would be made on Raleigh on Tuesday. Raleigh went through pregame workouts Monday.

“Obviously we’re going to be cautious as we get him back into it,” Wilson said. “But a chance for him to swing the bat today.”

Raleigh, in his sixth season with the Mariners, has never been on the injured list.

As for returning behind the plate, Raleigh and Seattle will be mindful to how he’s feeling. Mitch Garver will start at catcher for the second consecutive game.

“We’re looking at it pretty much at-bat to at-bat at this point,” Wilson said.

Raleigh, who was the runner-up for AL MVP last season after hitting 60 homers and driving in 125 runs, is hitting .186 with seven homers and 18 RBIs through 33 games. After getting off to an extremely slow start at the plate, Raleigh has started to heat up, with five of his homers coming in the past 16 games.

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