Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is expected to make his return to the lineup on Tuesday after a one-month stint on the injured list.

Raleigh, who finished second in the American League MVP voting last season after hitting 60 home runs, has missed that month with an oblique strain. He tried to play through it for a bit, but was unable to. At one point he endured an 0-for-38 stretch at the plate.

The injury was partially to blame for Raleigh's slow start to the season, which saw him hit just .161 in total with seven home runs. However, Raleigh has looked like a new hitter on his rehab assignment through High-A Everett and Triple-A Tacoma.

The switch-hitter hit five home runs in five total games, including a pair of multi-homer games for the Rainiers.

Speaking on the MLB Network on Monday, former M's All-Star Harold Reynolds said that Raleigh's timing at the plate looks much better now than it did earlier in the year.

If you remember, Reynolds went on MLB Network in May and discussed Raleigh's struggles, attributing them to timing. Raleigh was hurt at the time and went on the injured list just days later, which certainly didn't help either.

In addition to his work at the plate, the hope is that Raleigh helps solidify the M's defense behind it. While Mitch Garver and Jhonny Pereda have generally done a good job in his absence, Raleigh's pitch calling and relationship with pitchers will be appreciated and welcomed back.

The Mariners enter play on Tuesday at 37-36 and in first place in the American League West, though they are just 0.5 games ahead of the Athletics. Seattle is coming off a disappointing 4-6 game road trip through the East Coast, but with Raleigh and JP Crawford returning, the hope is that they will get hot.

The M's roster still has questions to iron out before the series opener against Baltimore on Tuesday: Namely, who's spot is Raleigh going to take? We looked at some of the issues on Monday.

The 65-year-old Reynolds was a 12-year veteran of the Mariners and California Angels from 1983-1994. He was a two-time All-Star with Seattle and led the American League in stolen bases (60) in 1987. He was a career .258 hitter with 250 stolen bases. He also won three Gold Gloves with Seattle.

The latest episode of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast, featuring interviews and footage from the M's last series against the Washington Nationals is out now. You can listen here, or you can watch on YouTube below.

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