The Rangers announced on Thursday that Corey Seager was diagnosed with appendicitis and will undergo an appendectomy. There is no timetable for his return, though president of baseball operations Chris Young said they were not ruling him out for the season.
Seager began experiencing abdominal pain prior to Wednesday’s 20-3 victory over the Angels but felt well enough to play. According to Young, Seager’s pain increased over the course of the game, which played a role in the five-time All-Star exiting after the fourth inning shortly after clubbing his 21st homer of the year. He was then evaluated and diagnosed on Thursday morning.
“Corey, he's extremely impactful for our team, and at this point in the season, with everything we've experienced thus far, that's a tough blow,” Young said. “... I will express that Corey did not want to rule out the season, and in fact, he's been researching athletes who've come back from this quickly.”
Texas is trying to stay afloat in the chase for an AL Wild Card spot, but losing its star shortstop for an indefinite period of time certainly hurts those chances. Seager is hitting .271/.373/.487 with a 148 OPS+, 21 homers and 50 RBIs in 102 games this season. It is yet another piece of bad injury news for a club that has dealt with more than its fair share in recent days.
Yet the Rangers have won five of their past six games and sit at 68-67 for the year, 4 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.
“Nobody's going to feel sorry for us, and we can't feel sorry for ourselves,” Young said. “... In the last week, we've shown great resilience. I'm extremely proud of our group and our guys and the way they fought. I expect them to continue fighting. We'll see what happens. I put no limitations on what a group of guys can do when they believe in each other.”
Infielder Dylan Moore, who was signed to a Minor League deal on Wednesday, will be added to the roster as a corresponding move and join the Rangers ahead of this weekend’s road series against the A’s, Young said.
Outfielder Evan Carter will be transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot for Moore on the 40-man roster. Carter suffered a fractured right wrist last week and will miss the rest of the season.
Young said he expects Josh Smith “to get the lion’s share” of playing time at shortstop in place of Seager, with Ezequiel Duran and rookie Michael Helman mixing in there, as well.