WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager has hit a groove since his most recent return from the injured list.
The Rangers intend to do what it takes to maintain that.
Seager, who’s slashed .286/.364/.449 since he returned from a month-long bout with lower back inflammation, will not play in Sunday’s series finale at Sutter Health Park. The decision to sit him, paired with the team’s off day Monday, will give the 32-year-old extended rest as he continues to work through a back injury that still requires maintainence.
“I don’t know if he’s ever going to be 100%, right?” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “We’re making sure that we can keep him on the field the rest of the year, and sometimes, these off days next to an off day will help for the next 40 or so games. That’s kind of the thought behind it — making sure that nothing goes backwards.”
After Monday, the Rangers will have four more off days in the season’s final five weeks that they can use to give Seager extended breaks if necessary. Seager had played in nine consecutive games prior to Sunday’s day off and has hit 6 for 21 with a home run, a double and three walks on a seven-game road trip that’s coincided with his best stretch of baseball this season. He’s posted a career-worst .697 OPS when available this year but has missed nearly half of the team’s total games because of the lower back inflammation and a concussion.
“I appreciate everything that he’s trying to do to get on the field every day for us,” Schumaker said, “because it’s not easy for him.”