The Seattle Mariners are set to get a major boost to their lineup.
Star catcher Cal Raleigh told the Seattle Times on Monday that he will be back in the team's lineup for Tuesday's series opener with the Baltimore Orioles.
Raleigh has been on the injured list with an oblique injury since May 14 — the first IL stint of his career.
The 29-year-old has spent the last week rehabbing between high- and triple-A, going 7-for-17 with five home runs and two walks in five games.
Before going down with the injury, Raleigh had limped out of the gates for the Mariners, slashing .161/.243/.317 with seven homers in 41 games.
In Raleigh's absence, the Mariners went 16-13 and took possession of first place in the AL West. They have, however, dealt with a number of other injuries across their roster, so getting their slugging backstop back will be a welcome development for manager Dan Wilson.
Last season, Raleigh finished as the MVP runner-up in the American League after launching 60 big flies, driving in 125 runs and carrying a .948 OPS as Seattle won its first division title since 2001.
