Luke Raley DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Seattle Mariners first baseman Luke Raley (oblique) will rejoin the team in the next couple of days and ramp up the swinging part of his baseball activities, according to MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. The Mariners are targeting the week of June 3 for Raley to start a minor-league rehab assignment. It means that the 30-year-old veteran left-handed hitter could be back from the 10-day injured list from a strained right oblique by late next week, barring a setback when he resumes playing in games. Raley was put on the IL back on April 30 but has been ramping up his baseball activities of late. The former seventh-round selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 out of Lake Erie College was hitting just .206/.345/.324 with a .669 OPS, two homer runs, two doubles, eight RBI, 10 runs and two steals in 24 games before his injury. He hit a combined 41 homers the previous two season with the Rays and Mariners.

The Seattle Mariners have placed first baseman/outfielder Luke Raley (oblique) on the 10-day injured list retroactive to April 28. The 30-year-old suffered this injury earlier in the week and was held out of action during Tuesday's contest. In a corresponding move, the Mariners promoted outfielder Rhylan Thomas from Triple-A Tacoma. Through the first 24 games of the regular season, Raley has posted a .206/.345/.324 slash line with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, two stolen bases, and a 20:10 K:BB. However, under the hood, Raley has generated an impressive .373 xwOBA with a 14.3 percent barrel rate, which are both well above the average marks, which suggests he should see positive regression when he returns to action. While he is sidelined, Thomas and Samad Taylor should see time in right field.

Seattle Mariners first baseman Luke Raley (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants. Raley has struggled against left-handed pitching in his career, so he'll take a seat against southpaw Robbie Ray on Saturday. In his absence, Cal Raleigh will slide over to the designated hitter spot while Mitch Garver does the catching. There's a good chance that Raley only plays in a platoon role for the Mariners this season. That being said, it might be difficult for Raley to hold fantasy value outside of AL-only formats.