Raleigh, Baldwin activated off 10-day IL
Eric Samulski encourages fantasy managers to reinstate catchers Cal Raleigh and Drake Baldwin back into their starting lineups as both are activated off the 10-day IL for the Mariners and Braves, respectively.
Video Transcript
The first catcher off the board in most fantasy baseball drafts this season is coming back from the IL as the Mariners are activating Cal Raleigh, who's been out with an oblique injury.
Raleigh is, was coming off a historic 2025 season where he almost won the AL MVP before losing to Aaron Judge, and he, that made him one of the first catchers, if not the first catcher taken in most fantasy drafts.
However, we have not seen that same success continue this season.
Before getting injured, he was hitting just 161 with seven home runs, 16 runs scored in 18 RBIs.
Now, he did have a 12.3% barrel rate, but he's hitting f- more fly balls than he ever had before.
He's chasing more outside of the zone than he ever had.
So maybe there was some pressure, to keep up with what he did last year.
He's also getting pitched more outside of the zone, so hitters or, or pitchers are not challenging him in the zone as much.
Maybe this time off has allowed Raleigh to look at his approach and change his approach a little bit.
Obviously, if he was on your IL, you're putting him right back into your starting lineup.
He's too good.
The upside is too high for you to do anything else.
However, potentially more exciting is that there's another catcher coming back, and that's Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, who's also returning from an oblique injury.
And Baldwin was arguably the best catcher in fantasy baseball before getting hurt.
He was hitting 303 with 13 home runs, 39 runs scored in 38 RBIs.
That came with a n- nearly 19% barrel rate and a 54% hard hit rate.
Baldwin is somebody who should be excited to get back in your lineup.
He should hit second again for the Braves.
There's a chance that his RBIs may take a hit while Ronald Acua is sidelined since Acua was hitting before him, but there's, that's the smallest of worries here.
You're super happy to get both Drake Baldwin and Cal Raleigh back.
