After weeks of being bothered last season by a sore right elbow, Corey Seager mentioned the possibility of undergoing minor surgery to alleviate the issue. In the immediate aftermath of their World Series loss, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the club was hopeful rest and treatment would suffice.
One month later, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi confirmed the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year would avoid offseason surgery. Seager deemed himself fully recovered from the back and elbow trouble that dogged him last year.
Yet, the Dodgers still had him on a limited throwing program at the outset of camp, and Seager was restricted to only serving as a designated hitter in Cactus League games. This week, he twice played shortstop in controlled settings on Minor League fields at Camelback Ranch.
That included logging seven innings at shortstop on Wednesday, which Seager was able to get through without aggravating his elbow.
Next is another game as DH, then Seager will debut at his position when the Dodgers face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Roberts said Seager would be the designated hitter for the Dodgers on Thursday and will play defense in a Cactus League game for the first time this spring on Friday.
In eight Cactus League games, Seager is 4-for-21 with two doubles, three RBI and four walks. Dealing with injury during the spring is nothing new for the All-Star shortstop.
Two years ago he was slowed by a mild knee sprain suffered in March, and last spring, an upper back/oblique strain threw Seager’s schedule off course. Of course, come the past two regular seasons, he’s largely pressed ahead without any issues.
