Corey Seager was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for a second consecutive game as he continues to recover from lower back discomfort that forced him out of the series opener against the San Francisco Giants.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated Seager sustained the injury on an attempt at a diving backhanded stop in the second inning. Seager was removed in the third after coming up lame when going to his left to back up Chris Taylor on a ball hit to second base.
Roberts said Seager was considered day-to-day, and that remained the case Sunday. “It’s kind of the same progression. Treatment, no baseball activity, he feels a little bit better than two nights ago, which is a good thing,” Roberts said.
“It’s going to be a day-to-day thing. We’re not considering the IL right now. We want to give it a few days and kind of reassess”
Chris Taylor started at shortstop on Saturday, and Kiké Hernandez did for the second game the Dodgers were without Seager.
While both can certainly place the position well, replacing Seager’s production at the plate is a tall order. Including an 0-for-1 effort prior to being removed because of the back trouble, Seager is batting .340/.389/.600 with four doubles, three home runs and seven RBI.
Ironically, the 26-year-old attributed that success to being healthy as he is two years removed from Tommy John and hip surgeries. “It’s a body-confidence thing, just feeling better, feeling stronger, being able to make moves I want to be able to make,” Seager said before Friday’s game.
“Hopefully I can keep it going.”
Injury prone?
Despite being a former National League Rookie of the Year winner and a two-time Silver Slugger, there have been growing whispers about Seager being prone to injury. He missed the 2017 NL Championship Series due to a back injury — though Roberts said the latest issue is unrelated to that — and Seager has also dealt with hamstring and elbow trouble.
The Dodgers nonetheless remain committed to keeping him at shortstop rather than potentially dedicating the designated hitter spot in the lineup to Seager. “Less than 24 hours ago he was talking about how good his body feels and his body is allowing him to do what he wants to do,” Roberts said Saturday.
“To take a dive and come up a little bit sore, to now talk about DH, I certainly think it’s premature.”
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