Texas Rangers star shortstop Corey Seager will miss the final 16 games of the 2024 season as he undergoes surgery to repair a sports hernia. General manager Chris Young announced the decision on Thursday, ending Seager’s season early.
Seager, who last played on September 2 and was placed on the injured list on September 4, wraps up the year with a .278 batting average, an .864 OPS, 21 doubles, 30 home runs, and 74 RBIs. This marks the third consecutive season Seager has hit 30 homers since joining the Rangers.
The 10-year MLB veteran will have the hernia surgery on the right side of his groin, complementing a similar procedure he underwent on the left side in January, according to *The Dallas Morning News‘ * Evan Grant. Despite the injury, Seager played through the pain last year, including during the Rangers’ World Series championship run. The previous surgery sidelined him for most of spring training this year.
By opting for surgery in mid-September, Seager is expected to be fully recovered in time for 2025 spring training. Ensuring a healthy offseason is crucial for the star shortstop, who emphasized the importance of not missing back-to-back offseasons.
“You can’t miss two offseasons,” Seager told the Associated Press when discussing his move to the IL. “You’ve got to be healthy and get back into the work and get back into shape. Didn’t really have any buildup last year coming into the season. It’s something that you need to have.”
Injuries have been a persistent issue for Seager, limiting him to fewer than 125 games in each of the last two seasons. In 2023, strains to his hamstring and thumb caused him to miss nearly six weeks combined.
The Rangers, currently holding third place in the AL West with a 70-76 record, had hoped for a stronger finish. Last season, they made the postseason as a wild card, narrowly missing the AL West title due to a tiebreaker with the Houston Astros.
Despite Seager’s absence, this week brings excitement for Texas fans with top pitching prospect Kumar Rocker making his MLB debut on Thursday, followed by Jacob deGrom’s first appearance of the season on Friday. Max Scherzer is also set to return to the Rangers’ rotation on Saturday.