'Everything is better': Rangers activate Seager ahead of crucial set in Houston

ARLINGTON -- Corey Seager is back. Again. This time, it’s much-needed.

The Rangers activated their star shortstop from the 10-day injured list on Friday, ahead of a pivotal three-game set against the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

“I think [the team is] really excited that Corey's back, that’s for sure,” said manager Skip Schumaker. “I think there are guys that are capable of carrying teams, and Corey Seager is one of those.”

Seager has missed Texas’ last 23 games with lower back inflammation, his second such stint with the ailment this season. After a plethora of live batting practice sessions at Globe Life Field, he appeared in two games on a rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Frisco, going 1-for-5 with a home run and a walk. He converted all six of his defensive chances at shortstop, which was said to be the more taxing process on his back.

Seager has hit just .182 with 10 home runs, six doubles, 25 RBIs and 28 walks in his 51 games this season, as he’s been sidelined with a pair of back injuries and a concussion. That said, dating back to 2023, the Rangers are 207-187 (.525) with Seager in the starting lineup and just 97-104 (.483) without him.

“[Seager being back] makes everybody better around him,” Schumaker said. “You always circle guys that you don't want them to beat you. When you have multiple guys that you have to circle, that makes it really challenging. I feel like we've been missing Corey. There's no question about that. So when you have multiple guys that can beat you, that obviously helps, and it allows us to do certain things offensively, and not just rely on one guy. We have now multiple guys up and down the lineup that can help score runs. Everything is better when Corey is back.”

Schumaker added that the staff doesn’t expect any planned load management for Seager this go-round. Following his first back injury earlier this year, the Rangers slotted in scheduled off-days and DH days in order to keep him healthy down the stretch.

This time, it’ll be a day-to-day situation, with hopes of keeping Seager on the field as much as possible during the postseason push.

“I think we’ll talk to Corey every day to see how he feels, but I mean, we don't have many games left of the season,” Schumaker explained. “We're almost in August. It's go time. We have to win as many games as we can with the best players on the field. We're at a point in the season where we gotta be able to play our guys. We’ve got to figure out a way to play as many games as we can with all of our guys.”