Corey Seager Heads Back to IL as Texas Rangers Lose Their Best Bat Again

Corey Seager’s back is giving him trouble again. The Texas Rangers shortstop was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with lower back inflammation, a day after he left a game against the Cleveland Guardians early. That’s the same area that’s already cost him significant time this season.

Seager had been playing through some discomfort for a while according to the team, but Tuesday night it finally got bad enough that he couldn’t stay on the field. He grabbed at his lower back after a swing and was pulled pretty quickly. The Rangers called up utility man Josh Smith from Triple-A to fill the roster spot.

This isn’t a new problem. Seager’s only played 51 games this year, and the back has been the main culprit. He missed a chunk of April and most of May with what the team described as a left hamstring strain, but the back issues have been lingering longer than anyone hoped.

What’s tricky for Texas is how much they depend on him. Seager signed that massive 10-year, $325 million deal and when he’s healthy he’s one of the best hitters in baseball. But the Rangers are sitting at .500 right now and their lineup looks a lot thinner without him. Marcus Semien’s been carrying a heavier load but you can’t just replace a shortstop who hits .270 with power and plays solid defense.

How long will he be out?

Nobody’s saying yet. The 10-day IL is the minimum but back inflammation is unpredictable. The Rangers have been cautious with Seager all year and the medical staff will probably take their time here. The All-Star break isn’t far off, so there’s some hope the time off helps him reset. But if this keeps flaring up, the front office might have to think about whether shutting him down for a longer stretch makes sense.

Smith isn’t a bad fill-in. He’s hit .276 in limited big league time and can play multiple infield spots. But he’s not Corey Seager. Nobody else on the roster is. That’s the problem.

The Rangers have a tough stretch coming up against division opponents next week. Without Seager, every game becomes a little harder. The team hasn’t given a timeline beyond the IL placement, and they likely won’t until they see how the inflammation responds to treatment over the next few days.

More updates as they come.