Cal Raleigh became the fifth different Mariner to hit 40 home runs in a season with his solo blast Saturday during the Mariners' 7-2 win over the Angels.

The American League MVP has been Aaron Judge’s to lose for pretty much the entire 2025 season. However, when he landed on the injured list over the weekend, the odds flipped in Cal Raleigh’s favor for the first time all year.

The Seattle Mariners won last night, 1-0, with their only run being a home run from catcher Cal Raleigh. They've certainly had others contribute on offense this season -- All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena in particular deserves a quick shout of late -- but it sure feels like a 1-0 Mariners win with a Raleigh bomb sums things up for the contender at this juncture,

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has taken over as the American League MVP favorite with his closest rival, Aaron Judge, heading to the injured list. Raleigh hit home runs in consecutive games over the weekend to extend his major league lead to 41.

With Aaron Judge expected to be a DH initially when he returns from injury, the opportunity is there for Cal Raleigh to take over as the AL MVP favorite.

Raleigh became the first catcher in history to win the Home Run Derby, was named the American League's starting catcher and had 38 home runs at the All-Star Break. His 38 homers set MLB records for the most by a catcher, switch-hitter and American League hitter by the All-Star Break in MLB history.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said his best player avoided a much worse fate in terms of the injury. The team is optimistic he can return to the lineup as soon as he's eligible to be activated from his IL stint. He'll be eased in as the designated hitter to avoid putting too much strain on his elbow.

Cal Raleigh leads AL MVP Odds