Perhaps the biggest concern in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization this spring is the health of Corey Seager, who has yet to play the field due to last season’s nagging elbow issue. The injury affected Seager during the second half and into the postseason, but he managed to avoid surgery.
Seager proclaimed himself healthy upon reporting to camp, but he was on a slow throwing program. That then got delayed as he dealt with the illness that struck many players and personnel within the organization.
Seager threw to bases for the first time on Monday, and may be on the verge of playing shortstop in a Cactus League game, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Seager said he hopes to play defense in a game by the end of the week. Manager Dave Roberts initially said that sounded aggressive, but softened the stance and said it was possible.
In addition to a sore right elbow, Seager also dealt with a back injury that forced him to miss the 2017 National League Championship Series. He’s fully recovered from that, but did fear there was a relapse because of the pain that came with dealing with the virus.
While it is a bit concerning that Seager has yet to play the field this spring, manager Dave Roberts estimated that he will only need 10 such games to be ready for Opening Day. Considering Seager is at least trending in the right direction, there’s plenty of time to work any rust off.
In the event the Dodgers need to call on backup options, Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor have played some shortstop this year. Another option could be Jake Peter, who is shining in Cactus League play thus far.
