Corey Seager stepped into the batter's box Sunday for live batting practice for the first time since a back injury sidelined the Texas Rangers shortstop 26 days ago—marking the second time this season his body has failed him. He finished the session with a home run, a small bright spot in what's become a season of diminishing returns for one of baseball's most accomplished players.
The two-time World Series MVP is on pace for the worst season of his career. Limited to just 51 games, Seager is hitting .182 with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs. That's not just underperformance—it's a collapse. He was trapped in an 0-for-27 slide, the worst of his career, when the back injury first struck on July 1. After he returned from a concussion and played three games, the injury flared up again. When asked if he's confident about returning to form, Seager was blunt: "I would love to tell you yes, but backs are not what you want."
The Rangers' injury crisis extends far beyond their star shortstop. The team is also waiting on the return of two left-handed pitchers who haven't appeared in the majors since 2024—a gap that speaks to the organization's depth problems.
The Cascading Toll of Injuries
Seager's injury history this season reads like a cautionary tale about the physical toll professional baseball demands. He was removed from a game at Toronto 27 days ago because of back discomfort. Before that, he'd spent about a month on the injured list recovering from a concussion. In early June, he'd already missed three weeks due to lower back inflammation, requiring a minor league rehab assignment where he played two games.
Manager Skip Schumaker is weighing another minor league stint to ease Seager back into game action. "It's just tough to mimic some in-game stuff," Schumaker said. "It's always up to the player. Because he missed so much time, we're going to discuss it. Looked like today was really good. See what it feels like tomorrow, and then we'll discuss the rehab assignment."
The careful language masks a deeper problem: the Rangers' roster is fragmenting under the weight of injuries, and there's no clear timeline for when it stabilizes.
Pitching Depth Under Strain
Jordan Montgomery, who played a key role when the Rangers won the World Series three years ago, underwent his second elbow reconstruction surgery about a year ago while with Arizona. He rejoined the Rangers on a one-year contract this year, but he remains unavailable. Cody Bradford, who had elbow surgery about a year ago after the 2025 season, is also sidelined. Bradford made 34 appearances in 21 starts over his first two big league seasons with the Rangers and had a strong showing in the World Series as a rookie, but he was shut down during spring training last year.
The Rangers organization is hopeful both pitchers will return soon. That hope, however, is increasingly strained by the reality of their absence.
Why This Matters:
Seager's injury-plagued season reveals how fragile even the most talented rosters can become when health fails. A team that invested heavily in its star player—who was supposed to anchor the lineup for years—is watching that investment deteriorate through circumstances largely beyond anyone's control. The Rangers' injury crisis isn't just about individual setbacks; it's about institutional vulnerability. When your highest-paid players and key depth pieces are simultaneously unavailable, winning becomes nearly impossible, and the organization's competitive window narrows. For fans and stakeholders, it's a reminder that even championship teams are vulnerable to the unpredictable nature of professional sports injuries, and that building sustainable success requires more than just star power—it requires depth, resilience, and luck.