The Rangers' title defense hasn't gone quite as planned, with Texas sitting under .500 in early June and not getting the production they expected out of young bats such as Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford.
One constant has been Corey Seager. The reigning World Series MVP got off to a slow start after missing much of spring training with an abdominal injury, but he was red hot in May with a stretch of eight home runs in eight days.
The Rangers were able to survive when Seager missed time in 2023. They might be about to find out whether they can do the same this season, as Seager pulled up with a hamstring injury in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Here are the latest injury updates on Seager and his status going forward.
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Corey Seager injury update
Seager pulled up with a hamstring injury just before reaching first base on an RBI single off of Detroit's Joey Wentz on Monday and left the game. The Rangers described the injury as "left hamstring tightness."
Here’s the play that caused Corey Seager to exit the game. pic.twitter.com/qGxO0WODlN
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) June 6, 2024
The Rangers didn't reveal whether Seager will undergo any further testing, but hamstring issues can be tricky. He already missed 31 games with a left hamstring injury last season and missed nearly a month due to the same issue while with the Dodgers in 2019.
Seager was able to return last season and not only play well but play at a near-MVP level. He hit .327 with 33 home runs and a 1.013 OPS across 119 games in 2023, keeping that momentum going in the postseason and earning his second World Series MVP award.
If Seager misses time — and his history of left hamstring injuries indicates an absence could be on the table — the Rangers will have to similarly hope their star can jump back into the lineup at some point and hit the ground running.
The Rangers boasted one of baseball's best offenses in 2023, but rookies Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford have struggled while Josh Jung suffered a fractured wrist just days into the season. Jung is on his way back, but with the Rangers still sitting under .500, Texas might not be able to afford a month or so without Seager.
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Corey Seager stats 2024
| Games | 57 |
| AVG | .271 |
| HR | 13 |
| RBI | 30 |
| H | 59 |
| OPS | .832 |
Seager looked pretty lost at the plate in April, batting just .236 with two home runs and a .631 OPS. He looked much more like himself in May, hitting 11 home runs and posting a 1.047 OPS over 25 games. That included a stretch of eight home runs in eight games late in the month.
It's often not hard for great teams to get by just fine without a key player or two, given how much of a team sport baseball is. Despite going on to win the World Series, the Rangers didn't fare as well without Seager in 2023. They went 23-20 (.535) in games missed by their star, compared to 67-52 (.563) when he was in the lineup.
Given how much their offense has struggled compared to last year, Seager's presence is likely even more pivotal for Texas in 2024.
