SEATTLE -- Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was a late scratch from the lineup on Saturday.
He had been slated to bat second and start behind the plate against the Kansas City Royals, but the Mariners announced he would miss the game just over an hour before first pitch. The Mariners did not immediately announce why Raleigh was out.
Raleigh, who was the runner-up for AL MVP last season after hitting 60 homers and driving in 125 RBI, is hitting .186 with seven homers and 18 RBI 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 15 games.
In Raleigh's absence, Mariners center fielder Julio RodrÃguez will hit second with backup catcher Mitch Garver eighth.
In a separate move before the game, the Mariners placed infielder Will Wilson on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday, with a left thumb fracture and called up catcher Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A Tacoma.
