The Los Angeles Dodgers lost their first series in over a month when the crosstown Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim completed a two-game Freeway Series sweep on Tuesday. However, they suffered an even bigger blow when Corey Seager exited in the top of the ninth inning with an apparent hamstring injury.
Seager pulled up when running from second to third base on an Alex Verdugo single and was immediately taken out of the game. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said afterward Seager was initially diagnosed with a severe Grade 2 hamstring strain, which can take several weeks to fully recover from.
Seager is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Wednesday, which will give the Dodgers further clarity on the extent of the injury and a potential timetable for his return.
Although there was immediate hope Seager experienced more of a cramp, he indicated the pull was more than that, via according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“Just coming around third, it grabbed pretty good,” said Seager. “Gonna get it checked out tomorrow, see where we’re at.”
Seager was as surprised as anyone, explaining he felt nothing wrong with his hamstring before the injury:
“No, just kind of one bad step, I guess,” he said. “This one kind of came out of nowhere.”
It’s a huge, shocking setback for one of the Dodgers’ franchise cornerstones, who seemed as healthy than ever in recent weeks.
After missing most of 2018 due to Tommy John surgery and getting off to a slow start in 2019, Seager had recently returned to the form that made him a Rookie of the Year and All-Star in his first two Major League seasons.
Over the last two weeks, he had a .438 batting average and 1.293 on-base plus slugging percentage, leading MLB shortstops in both categories.
When Seager was lost to injury last year, the Dodgers relied on the combination of Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor at shortstop until they traded for Manny Machado in July. The Dodgers likely will not need to make as drastic a move this time around considering the expectation is Seager will return at some point.
However, they have more heavily relied on Taylor and Hernandez at other positions in both the infield and outfield. Though both have struggled at the plate in recent weeks, A.J. Pollock remains on the mend from elbow surgery and other right-handed veterans Justin Turner and David Freese are nursing respective hamstring and knee trouble.
Whether or not Seager’s injury puts the Dodgers in the trade market for another bat remains to be seen. Despite a recent slump, L.A. still boasts the best offense in the National League and possess a dangerous lineup even without Seager.
The team’s biggest issue is still its mediocre bullpen, which the front office is expected to address before the July 31 midseason trade deadline. The Dodgers have already been linked to Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand in trade rumors.
