It's highly likely that Jhonny Pereda 's reward for doing his job may be jumping in his car and heading back down I-5 to Tacoma. It's an awkward truth that's part of Cal Raleigh nearing a return for the Seattle Mariners . It should be great news because, well, it's Cal Raleigh. But the roster move attached to that is probably going to feel a little cold.
Pereda was asked to help the Mariners survive a bad stretch while Raleigh recovered from an oblique injury. And he did exactly that. He split time with Mitch Garver , handled the staff, gave Seattle strong at-bats and even supplied some pop with two home runs.
The outcome feels harsh. When Raleigh is ready to return to his normal role, Pereda is still the obvious roster casualty. If he could reasonably shag balls in the outfield maybe that could help. But he just plays the wrong position on a roster that already has Raleigh and Garver.
Garver, meanwhile, likely still has the traditional backup role. He'll catch and fill in as the occasional DH. Pereda actually has a cleaner line than Garver who's slashing .187/.330/.293 to Pereda's .263/.333/.421. But it's unlikely for the Mariners to release Garver at this stage.
That leaves Pereda in the most unfortunate place possible. Useful enough to appreciate. Flexible enough to option.
The Mariners probably won't over think this. When Raleigh is healthy enough to catch, Pereda going back down is the cleanest move.
The encouraging part is that Pereda may have changed something even if this stint ends with another option to Tacoma. He's no longer just emergency catcher depth in theory. He has now given the Mariners a real example of what it looks like when they need him.
Raleigh's rehab assignment is now on the immediate horizon. According to MLB.com's Daniel Kramer, the Mariners' catcher is scheduled to begin his assignment June 7 at High-A Everett, then move to Triple-A Tacoma on June 9. He's expected to serve as the designated hitter in his first rehab game before shifting back toward catching work.
The Mariners went 12-6 during Raleigh's absence entering Wednesday, and the Garver-Pereda fill-in tandem combined for a .763 OPS in that stretch. Pereda's homer during Tuesday's win helped extend Seattle's winning streak to eight games.
So, the Mariners are still about to get better. But Pereda may be the one who pays for it.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/mariners/onsi as Mariners Face Cold Jhonny Pereda Decision as Cal Raleigh Nears Return .
