ARLINGTON, Texas — (AP) — All-Star shortstop Corey Seager was not in the starting lineup Saturday for the AL West-leading Texas Rangers while the team waited for results from an MRI on his sprained right thumb.
Manager Bruce Bochy said he was trying to be optimistic. Seager got hurt when his hand jammed awkwardly into the base when reaching on a head-first slide to beat out a double in the eighth inning of Friday night's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, his former team.
“We know what it means to us, so we’re hoping for the best news we can get,” Bochy said before Saturday's game.
Seager is hitting .350 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs in 66 games. His batting average would lead the American League if he qualified, but he missed 31 games with a left hamstring strain early in the season.
Bochy said the team expected to have an update before the game. That would allow for roster moves if Seager goes on the injured list for the second time this season.
X-rays taken Friday night were negative. Bochy said Seager was sore as would be expected and would need some time to recover regardless.
“We’ll just find out how much time he needs soon,” Bochy said.
Seager was also hurt running the bases before he went on the IL just two weeks into the season. He was running out an opposite-field double into the left-field corner against Kansas City on April 11, and he appeared to make the turn around first base cleanly before pulling up after a few steps and gingerly going to second base.
The Rangers went 19-12 without the shortstop, who is in the second season of his $325 million, 10-year deal in Texas.
“That’s a great message to the club that how well they played when he went down before,” Bochy said. “These guys really, you know, showed a lot of resolve last time it happened. And that’s what we have to do now. Like I’ve said many times, you’ve got now choice, so here we are.”
Seager was initially called out Friday night on right fielder Mookie Betts' throw from the right-center field gap. The Rangers challenged the play, but Seager was already headed back to the dugout with his right arm hanging low and clearly in discomfort as he flexed his hand.
The out call was overturned on replay. Josh Smith then came in to run for Seager, who hit his 15th homer in the sixth to put the AL West-leading Rangers ahead 5-4. They lost 11-5.
Ezequiel Duran was in the starting lineup at shortstop Saturday.
Seager was the MVP of both the 2020 World Series and NL Championship Series when the Dodgers won at Globe Life Field during the neutral-site playoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic. That was the last time Los Angeles had played there before Friday night's series opener.
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