The Rangers announced that shortstop Corey Seager has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. It’s a Grade 2 strain and comes with a minimum absence of four weeks, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. His roster spot goes to outfielder Leody Taveras, who has been activated from his own stint on the IL.
Seager, 29 this month, departed last night’s game in the fifth inning with some hamstring tightness. The news that he will now be out of action for a month or longer is certainly a blow to the Rangers, as Seager is one of the best players on the team. Signed to a 10-year, $325MM deal after the 2021 campaign, he played 151 games for the club last year and hit 33 home runs. His .245/.317/.455 batting line amounted to a wRC+ of 117 and he provided solid shortstop defense, leading to a tally of 4.5 wins above replacement from FanGraphs. Seager was off to a scorching hot start here in 2023, hitting .359/.469/.538 through his first 11 games. He wasn’t going to be able to sustain that over a full season, but it’s nonetheless frustrating for him to be cut down in the middle of such a good stretch.
Seager will return later in the year, but the club will now have to try out some other options at shortstop in the meantime. Manager Bruce Bochy told Grant after last night’s game that the club isn’t thinking about moving Marcus Semien over, despite his lengthy experience at the position. He became a primary second baseman with the Blue Jays in 2021, in deference to Bo Bichette. He joined the Rangers in the same offseason as Seager and has stayed on the right side of the bag for the most part. It seems the Rangers would prefer he stay there.
That seems to leave Josh H. Smith and Ezequiel Durán as the top options for taking the job for the next little bit. Since Smith is a left-handed hitter and Durán a righty, it’s possible that they form a platoon. Smith is getting the start tonight as the Rangers face the Royals with right-hander Brad Keller on the mound. Smith has just 81 games of MLB experience thus far, walking in 11.6% of his trips to the plate but not finding many hits thus far. His .197/.318/.245 batting line amounts to a 72 wRC+. He’s fared much better in the minors, however, including hitting .290/.395/.466 in Triple-A last year. Durán has 65 games under his belt and a .233/.272/.354 batting line to show for it, leading to a wRC+ of 77. He hasn’t played shortstop in the big leagues yet but has plenty of experience there in the minors.
The one sliver of good news in this is that the club is getting Taveras back. He was slated to be the club’s everyday center fielder until he was shut down in Spring Training due to an oblique strain, but he’s now back after missing just two weeks of the regular season. He hit just .261/.309/.366 last year for a wRC+ of 93 but put up six Outs Above Average in center field. Adolis García has been getting most of the time in center so far this year with Bubba Thompson and Travis Jankowski also in the mix, while Durán and Smith helped out in left. With Taveras back in the middle, García and Robbie Grossman should be able to take the corners while Durán and Smith now move to the infield.
Injuries, injuries, injuries.
And MOAR injuries
Smith, Garcia, Semien, Jung, Lowe, and Grossman will have to step it up next 20-24 games. If Smith and Duran cannot step up their offense Ornelas, Foscue and Acuna are there if needed. If the absence is longer expect they will call Cleveland about Rosario or SD about Kim.
Acuna has hit .218 in his first taste of AA ball across last season and this season. I think it’s safe to say he won’t be a step up on offense quite yet. I am excited about him, though.
If you’re going to get a strain get a “cannabis strain”.
I queried “strain” on the net & came up with cannabis strain. Boy, to be blunt, am I out of touch…
I had one of those. It really toke it out of me.
Even if it was longer it makes no sense to trade for those two nor either of those teams to trade them being they’re both playoff caliber teams. If they struggle that badly and it’s significant time, there are multiple in house options as you suggested even if not Acuna ( he’s not ready anyways). This is where you see what Duran and Smith can do on an everyday basis more so Duran.
I guess those 151 games Seager played for Texas last year were too good to be true. Back to business as usual…
In 8 seasons he’s only missed more than 20 games twice. Not sure how it’s “business as usual”
4 weeks in MLB speak is 8 and will require surgery.
Semien moves to short and I assume Brad Miller moves to second?
Bochy said yesterday job would be manned by Smith and Duran.
Duran had an epic spring! Hopefully that will continue into the regular season.
Not to worry. Seager has the financial means to see this through.
This is why I’m glad the Dodgers didn’t resign him. Always injured and terrible defense (backhanding balls hit right at him)
Great when healthy and on the field, but $325M is excessive to pay for the hope that that actually happens from year to year. Just seems to always have had a frail body. The very definition of “injury prone”.
He’s missed more than 20 games twice in 8 seasons. You say it as tho he’s Nimmo or Buxton…
He plays the game hard and you sound like a crybaby Dodger Fan.
Before if not already the Dodgers wish they had him back.
Time for the rest of the team to step up for a couple weeks.
That’s a bummer! Seager was off to a very good start too.
And then it Begins.
Cards have a paul dejong you can have for free, just take him.
Another big contract paying off wonders.
They used to tell us to rub dirt on it and get back out there.
You can always tell the fans who never really played sports competitively. Hamstring injuries can be bad, running not even slightly possible.
I was probably playing sports competitively before you were birn.
If course, we didn’t have helicopter parents either.