Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia, ending his third season with the team. The procedure is expected to take place on Friday and is the second sports hernia surgery for Seager in the last 12 months.
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia, ending his third season with the team, general manager Chris Young announced on Thursday. Seager was examined by doctors in Arizona earlier this week and is expected to undergo the procedure on Friday. It is the second sports hernia surgery for Seager in the last 12 months, this one on the opposite side of his abdomen from where the first surgery was done.
Seager was placed on the 10-day injured list on September 4 because of right hip discomfort that he had been dealing with for about a month. The reigning World Series MVP missed almost all of spring training after surgery in January to repair a sports hernia.
Young said that the decision to have Seager undergo surgery was a difficult one, but it was ultimately made in the best interest of the player's long-term health.
"Obviously a tough decision but with where we are at this point in the season, felt like it was a prudent decision in order for him to make a full recovery, have a strong offseason and be ready for spring training," Young said ahead of the first of four games against the Mariners.
Seager hit .278 with 30 home runs and 74 RBIs in 123 games this season. He reached 30 homers for the third season in a row since signing a 10-year, $325 million free agent contract with Texas.
After his brief spring training, Seager had just two homers and eight RBIs in his first 29 regular-season games. But the 30-year-old hit .296 with 27 homers and 66 RBIs since May 3.
"Corey was playing through some discomfort and he's so important to us and our future, to ask him to continue to play and finish out the season in pain where he could compromise himself or make himself worse, it made no sense," Young said. "The right decision here was to go ahead and have the operation and make a full recovery."
The Rangers are currently in fourth place in the American League West, 17 games behind the first-place Houston Astros. Texas has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Seager's absence will be a significant blow to the Rangers, who are already without injured outfielder Adolis Garcia. Seager is one of the best shortstops in baseball and is a key part of the team's future plans.
The Rangers are hoping that Seager will be able to make a full recovery from surgery and be ready for spring training. Seager said last week that he is hopeful that he will be able to play again this season, but he also knows that he needs to be healthy for the long term.
"You can't miss two offseasons," Seager said. "You've got to be healthy and getting back into the work and get back into shape. I didn't really have any buildup last year coming into the season. It's something that you need to have."
The Rangers are scheduled to play their final four games of the season at home against the Seattle Mariners.
