Mariners Catcher Reveals He Had Offseason Surgery

After the season ended, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh knew he had to somehow deal with a severely injured thumb—but just how wasn't clear at the time. Now he's revealed that he had offseason surgery.

Cal Raleigh says he's feeling great after having surgery to repair a broken thumb and torn ligaments in his catching hand. Surgery was performed in L.A. by Dr. Steven Shin — same surgeon who performed on Russell Wilson's finger a couple years ago.

— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) February 1, 2023

The surgery was to repair a broken thumb and torn ligaments in his catching hand, an injury that he incurred in September, but somehow managed to continue to produce with it. He actually hit eight home runs in the final month of the season and another in the playoffs. 

Raleigh said the surgery "went great", and just to prove that he'll be ready to go for spring training after his surgery, Raleigh caught M's starter Marco Gonzales' bullpen session yesterday in Arizona.  

The 26-year-old took over the Mariners' starting catcher duties last season when presumed starter Tom Murphy was lost to injury. All Raleigh did was go on to blast 27 HR with 63 RBIs and an impressive OPS+ of 122 (22% better than average).

He also had 14 Defensive Runs Saved last season, ranking him 3rd in the American League. 

Photo: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports