Seager, the All-Star shortstop and 2023 World Series MVP, will undergo surgery Friday and should be ready for the beginning of Texas Rangers spring training.
SEATTLE — Corey Seager played the final month of the 2023 World Series and all of the postseason with a sports hernia, and it worked out pretty well for him and the Texas Rangers.
What a difference a year makes.
Seager will undergo season-ending surgery Friday for another sports hernia, general manager Chris Young said, but the expectation is that the reigning World Series MVP will be full-go for spring training.
“Obviously, a tough decision, but with where we are at this point in the season, we felt like it was the prudent decision for him in order for him to make a full recovery, have a strong offseason and be ready for spring training,” Young said.
“I feel for Corey, but he’s had a tremendous year. He’s been a tremendous leader for us, and I look forward to getting him back healthy next year.”
Seager’s injury is on the opposite side as the sports hernia from last season, Young said, and it isn’t uncommon for a player to have a bilateral injury. Young said he experienced the same thing during his career, though both sides were injured at the same time.
The Rangers will know more Friday about when Seager can begin offseason workouts. He will have surgery in the Phoenix area performed by the same specialist to repaired the previous injury, Dr. Venkata Evani.
Seager underwent surgery Jan. 30 and missed almost all of spring training, finally making his Cactus League debut March 23 on the final day of camp. He struggled in April before hitting his stride in May.
Young suspects that Seager was bothered by the fresh hernia well before he went on the injured list Sept. 4. He finishes the season with team highs in batting average (.278), home runs (30) and OPS (.864). Josh Jung is batting .277 and could surpass Seager over the final 16 games of the season.
The Rangers entered play Thursday in third place in the American League West, 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Astros and four games behind the second-place Mariners.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
