Rangers Boss Explains Extending Corey Seager's Stay on Injured List

The Texas Rangers could have activated shortstop Corey Seager from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday. They opted not to do so.

It doesn’t sound like the Rangers are ready to activate him in the next few days, either.

Per The Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that Seager would be on the IL for at least another week.

Bochy said that the 31-year-old slugger is making good progress from the injury. But, both he and Seager said the goal is to make sure that he doesn’t have to go back on the IL again when he returns.

“It’s going to be right when I come back,” Seager said.

Why Rangers are Keeping Corey Seager on IL

Even though he’s progressing, Texas allowed Seager to consult with someone outside the organization to determine how he can prevent hamstring injuries in the future. He’s had four in his career and three since the start of the 2023 season.

“We just want to check everything, check all the boxes off, make sure we don’t rush him and that we are doing everything we can,” Bochy said. “We want to make sure we don’t rush him. We want to get a little further evaluation and see if there is any adjustment we could do on the rehab, the strength and going forward.”

A week means Seager may not hit the field until next weekend’s series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Texas could opt to activate him at any time. But the Rangers have clearly chosen a cautious approach.

When he’s in the lineup, the left-handed slugger looms large in the order. He’s slashed .300/.346/.520 with six home runs and 12 RBI.

Seager first felt the tightness in his right hamstring during the Rangers’ game with the Athletics in Sacramento on April 22 and the Rangers placed him on the 10-day injured list the next day. He returned on May 3.

After his return, he played five out of a possible nine games before he was held out of the lineup last Sunday against Detroit after Bochy admitted that hitting was giving Seager’s hamstring the most trouble. At the time, he judged Seager at about 85%.

During his first IL stint, the Rangers went 2-8. Texas is 4-5 since Seager went on the IL for the second time. The Rangers were just swept by the New York Yankees and begin a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox on Friday.