Seattle Mariners Set to Promote Triple-A Standout to Big-League Roster

Locklear was removed from the Rainiers game in the fifth inning on Tuesday night, leading to speculation that he was being traded. It no longer appears that that's the case.

There's been no indication as to what the corresponding move will be at this time, but there's certainly a few different things potentially in play.

Is Luke Raley being traded?

After the Mariners acquired Josh Naylor, Raley is no longer needed at first base. That pushes him to the outfield, where the team has clearly favored Dominic Canzone. Raley hasn't started a game since Naylor arrived. He's hitting just .220 this season with four homers, and he also missed more than a month with injury. However, he's under team control through 2028, so he would certainly have appeal to other teams.

The Mariners are in the market for relief help and help at third base, so this is possible.

Is Raley injured?

Some internet sleuths noticed Raley wearing a back brace while the team was in Anaheim over the weekend, leading to speculation that he's hurt.

The future of Donovan Solano?

With Naylor in the fold, Solano's right-handed hitting first base ability hasn't really been needed. He's only hitting .243 with an 83 OPS+ this season. Is the team prepared to move on from him in order to give Locklear his chance at the backup first base job?

And how about Dylan Moore?

Keeping Solano and Locklear would seem redundant, but Moore is in a 2-for-56 slump (entering play on Wednesday), leading to speculation about how long he'll be around for.

Locklear, 24, made his major league debut last season and hit .156 in 45 at-bats. He's hitting .316 at Tacoma this season with 19 homers and 18 stolen bases. He was just named the PCL's Hitter of the Week.