Looking to build off his outstanding rookie season, Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager dealt with a couple injuries in 2017 that limited him a bit.
One was an elbow issue that hampered Seager for much the second half of the season, while the other was a back injury that he suffered in the National League Division Series that kept him out of the Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs.
The back issue seems to be behind him this spring, but Seager is still working on getting the elbow back to 100 percent. Thus far, he has been limited in throwing and for now will only be in the lineup as a designated hitter.
While Dodgers Dave Roberts is unsure when Seager will be able to return to the field, he did say that he only expects Seager to need 10 games at shortstop in order to prepare for Opening Day, per Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
Roberts indicated Seager would need about 10 games in the field to be ready for the season.
“The guys have him on a throwing program, a progression,” Roberts said. “Probably not very aggressive. But it’s what we believe is best for Corey. When he’s in a major league game playing shortstop, I don’t know the date. But I know that we’ve left enough time on the calendar for him to get the reps he needs out there.”
Although Seager intimated last season that surgery on his elbow was a possibility, the 23-year-old and the Dodgers instead crafted a plan of rest and rehab.
With around 30 games remaining this spring, Seager has plenty of time to get back on the field so it makes sense that they are taking things extra cautious with the two-time All-Star.
Both Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez have been taking groundballs at shortstop this spring, leaving the Dodgers with plenty of depth at that position if Seager’s elbow is not able to get back to 100 percent.
