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Why is it happening? Let me throw something out here. Raleigh, caught more innings than any player in baseball from 2023 through 2025, played the longest season of his life last year, tacking on two weeks of high-intensity postseason games and playing until October 20. He then had a very short winter, playing in the World Baseball Classic on March 5, catching all nine innings in a U.S. win.
This isn’t a “WBC ruined a guy” story. It’s a “Cal Raleigh played a hell of a lot of baseball without much of a break” story. All those innings behind the plate, all those high-stress moments last October, and then not being able to ease into the 2026 season may be combining to take their toll. Raleigh missed a few games with a minor oblique injury earlier this month, and maybe that’s both an effect of the lack of rest, and a cause of his inability to hit fastballs.
This isn’t a “WBC ruined a guy” story. It’s a “Cal Raleigh played a hell of a lot of baseball without much of a break” story. All those innings behind the plate, all those high-stress moments last October, and then not being able to ease into the 2026 season may be combining to take their toll. Raleigh missed a few games with a minor oblique injury earlier this month, and maybe that’s both an effect of the lack of rest, and a cause of his inability to hit fastballs.
