Corey Seager won’t be with Texas Rangers to open Colorado series

All-Star shortstop Corey Seager couldn’t play again Sunday because of back spasms, and the Texas Rangers said sent him for a doctor’s visit in Arlington rather than having him travel to Colorado.

HOUSTON — Corey Seager took to the field at Daikin Park on Sunday morning, long before any of the Texas Rangers teammates, to see if his back had loosened enough for him to play in the series finale against the Astros.

He didn’t stay out long before quickly realizing that he wouldn’t be able to play. The Rangers took things two steps further by sending him to an area hospital for an MRI exam and deciding that he should visit the team’s back specialist in Arlington rather than travel to Colorado.

Manager Skip Schumaker said that Seager was feeling better Sunday morning but still couldn’t go. Because he would have been off Monday in the opener against the Rockies, the team wanted him to see their specialist no matter what the MRI exam showed.

The results were pending following the Rangers’ 8-0 win that allowed them to avoid a sweep. Seager did not play in the series, with Friday a planned off day and then waking up Saturday morning with back spasms.

“They’ll figure out exactly what’s going on,” Schumaker said. “Just what I saw today and him not going, I would probably give him a day off anyway tomorrow. But I guess [he’ll return] at some point in Colorado.”

Schumaker said the Rangers haven’t contemplated putting Seager on the injured list yet. He played in 42 of the Rangers’ first 43 games, and entered the team’s off day Thursday in a career-long 0-for-27 funk. Schumaker said Seager would have been off Friday even if he had been 27 for his last 27.

Seager left the clubhouse Friday night and told reporters he’d see them tomorrow. He didn’t speak to reporters until Sunday morning, moments before heading out for his MRI.

“It keeps spasming, so I’m hoping it doesn’t last too long,” he said. “I went to try and move around today, and there was no movement.”

Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com