The Los Angeles Dodgers transferred All-Star shortstop Corey Seager to the 60-day disabled list on Saturday in order to make room on the 40-man roster for switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, who was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The move was an expected one for Seager as he recently underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. The elbow issue was something he had been dealing with for almost a year prior to ultimately requiring the surgery.
Despite the elbow hampering him for the latter half of 2017, Seager opted not to undergo the surgery last offseason. Instead he went the route of rest and rehab in hopes that it would not get worse throughout the course of the 2018 season.
A couple of throws did extra damage to the elbow in the Dodgers’ recent series in San Francisco against the Giants, making it necessary to go through with the surgery that will keep him out for around a calendar year.
There is no timetable for when exactly Seager will be back, although position players historically are able to return from Tommy John surgery quicker than pitchers.
It is not out of the question that Seager could be ready by Opening Day in 2019, which would be around 11 months after having the surgery. The Dodgers will likely be cautious with their young star shortstop, so they likely won’t rush him back to be ready for Opening Day if it jeopardizes Seager’s bright future.
Shortstop is a difficult position to play, often needing to make long throws from the 5-6 hole, but Seager said he is not considering changing positions in the wake of the surgery.
