Cole Young settles in atop Mariners lineup; Cal Raleigh nears return | Notebook
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The new configuration figures to be only temporary.
Long-term, though, the Mariners this week might have discovered their answer atop the lineup.
For the seventh time this season, Cole Young batted first in the M's lineup, this time in the series opener Friday against the Washington Nationals, and the 22-year-old second baseman has looked and felt plenty comfortable in the leadoff spot.
"I love it," Young said Friday afternoon at Nationals Park. "I love just competing right away, getting that first at-bat right away."
Young became the third-youngest player in franchise history to hit a leadoff homer Thursday in the Mariners' 7-5 defeat at Baltimore, and in his first 28 plate appearances atop the lineup, he posted a .360 batting average with a .429 on-base percentage and a .949 OPS, with nine hits, one walk, two hit-by-pitches and three strikeouts in 25 at-bats.
He had spent most of the season batting in the bottom third of the lineup.
"The approach is the same," he said. "It's more so just (about) finding any way I can to get on base, whether it's walks or hits."
In his first full big-league season, Young has been one of the Mariners' most productive players, joining Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena as the only players to start all 70 games (through Thursday). Young's 2.4 bWAR entering Friday ranked second on the roster, behind Arozarena (2.6).
"It's not an easy switch coming from where he was to the leadoff spot," manager Dan Wilson said. "But it plays into (his) consistency. He hasn't changed; he hasn't done anything different. He's just continued to do what he does, and I think we're seeing that play out in a really big way for us at the top of the lineup."
Brendan Donovan opened the season as the Mariners' leadoff hitter. And when Donovan landed on the injured list for the second time last month with a groin injury, J.P. Crawford returned to the top of the lineup.
Over a three-week stretch through early June, Crawford was one of the team's steadiest contributors, hitting five homers with a .346 on-base percentage and a 145 wRC+ in 78 appearances. A week ago in Detroit, Crawford was hit in the right hand with a 96-mph fastball from Framber Valdez, necessitating a stint on the IL for the veteran shortstop.
Crawford said he is hopeful he'll be able to play Tuesday when the Mariners return to Seattle to begin a homestand, and he's expected to return to the top of the lineup.
Until then, Young figures to remain in the role, and he could very well be a future mainstay there.
Raleigh closer to return
Cal Raleigh (right oblique strain) hit a three-run home run Thursday night, his third homer of the week during his rehab assignment in Triple-A Tacoma.
"Sounds like another pretty good evening for him, and that's great news," Wilson said Friday. "(He's) continuing to progress as we had hoped. So all good signs from what we're hearing and what we're seeing."
Raleigh caught five innings for the Rainiers on Tuesday and then had a scheduled off-day Wednesday.
Thursday, he caught seven innings, followed by a scheduled off day Friday.
On Saturday, he's scheduled to catch nine innings, after which the club will reassess his progress.
There is optimism around the club that Raleigh is on track to be activated from the IL when the Mariners return home early next week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday.
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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 4:48 PM.