After losing Corey Seager to Tommy John surgery last season and his recovery also entailing returning from an arthroscopic hip operation, the Los Angeles Dodgers outlined a plan to cautiously handle their prized shortstop.
As explained by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, it called for the club to provide Seager with rest after starting in three consecutive games. That didn’t exactly end up being put into place, though Roberts asserted Seager and the Dodgers were comfortable with his workload.
Positive signs Seager was showing through his play and health went out the window this week when he suffered a strained left hamstring while running the bases. An MRI deemed the severity of Seager’s injury to be on the threshold of a Grade 1 or 2 strain.
Although some may question if workload was a factor, Seager voiced confidence in his health before the surprise injury and disappointment by the timing of it, via SportsNet LA:
“I thought we had done a really good job taking time, easing into things, being ready to go, putting a lot of time into being ready to be back on the field every day. It kind of sucks, I’m a little bummed. I was starting to feel better at the plate, getting comfortable and enjoying playing again, really.”
Beyond being sidelined, Seager is frustrated by facing some uncertainty with the recovery process because of the unpredictable nature of a hamstring strain:
“It hurt pretty good. Unfortunately it did kind of catch really quickly. It would’ve been nice if it gave me a little bit of a heads up but it didn’t. We are where we are. The worst part about these is it’s hard to put a timetable on them. You could feel really good tomorrow, and [the recovery] gets quicker, or it could linger. It’s just kind of the waiting game.”
Roberts said the Dodgers were slightly encouraged by the results of the MRI, but he could not yet begin to project a timetable. Roberts added soreness and discomfort would prevent Seager from beginning any sort of workouts for upwards of six days.
The 25-year-old was in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak that saw him produce five multi-hit performances and bat .459/.487/.730 with seven doubles, one home run and nine RBI during that span.
Seager was enjoying a particularly hot month of June and overall this season was hitting .305/.376/.558 with 18 doubles, seven home runs and 29 RBI in 55 games.
