The Texas Rangers will have to prepare for the season without Corey Seager.
The reigning World Series MVP will most of spring training after undergoing left sports hernia surgery on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The Rangers are reportedly “hopeful” he will be ready for Opening Day on March 28.
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The origin Seager’s hernia reportedly goes back to last year’s postseason, in which Seager hit .318/.451/.682 to lead the Rangers to their first World Series title. The issue was managed with minor treatment by trainers, with the hope it would be resolved with rest during the offseason. Instead, Seager went under the knife at a time that doesn’t guarantee his readiness for the season.
Rangers general manager Chris Young said the hernia has nagged Seager throughout the season, per the AP:
“It was manageable. The thought was, may continue to be manageable, but there is the chance that it continues to get worse,” Young said. “The fact that he’s still feeling it at this point, became pretty clear that this may be difficult to manage and at some point would likely need to be repaired.”
Young still reportedly described his level of concern for Seager as “very low” and that he hopes Seager will have resumed baseball activity “by the end of spring.
Injuries have been a recurring issue for the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Seager throughout his career. He has cleared 120 games played in a season only twice since 2017 and landed on the injured list twice last season with a left hamstring strain and a right thumb sprain.
Seager’s play on the field has more than justified his $325 million contract, though. He finished second to Shohei Ohtani in American League MVP voting last season and became the most terrifying hitter in baseball during the postseason, joining Reggie Jackson, Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson as the only players to win World Series MVP twice.
