Seager goes yard, shows off glovework in first rehab game

Corey Seager’s rehab assignment is off to a promising start.

Working his way back to the Rangers from lower back inflammation -- his third stint on the injured list this season and his second with the same ailment -- Seager launched a solo home run in his first rehab game with Double-A Frisco on Tuesday at Riders Field. He also made an impressive defensive play at shortstop.

Limited to just 51 MLB games this season, Seager is batting .182 with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs. Seager, 32, has posted an .854 OPS during his five-season Rangers career, the best mark among qualifying shortstops since 2022.

Here’s the latest on Seager’s rehab assignment, as well as when he might return to the Rangers.

How did he perform?

Seager went 1-for-2 with a walk for Frisco in his first rehab game, batting second and playing five innings at shortstop.

After striking out swinging in the first inning, Seager drew a free pass in the third. In the fifth, he lifted an opposite-field solo dinger off Corpus Christi starter Trey Dombroski.

If Seager’s back was still bothering him, he certainly didn’t show it on a great play at shortstop in the top of the third. He ranged far to his right to track down a ground ball off the bat of the Hooks’ Trevor Austin and made the long throw to first base for the inning’s final out.

What’s next?

Seager will likely play at least one more game with Frisco before being activated, manager Skip Schumaker said Monday. He rehabbed with the RoughRiders in June after first landing on the IL with a back issue, playing two games before returning to the Rangers.

“It’s kind of up to him and how he feels,’’ Schumaker said. “Quite honestly, if he wants one more at-bat [in a game], he can [have that]. It’s almost like Spring Training, when you kind of ask the player if he wants another at-bat or another inning defensively.

“He went through a lot the other day. I know it was a simulated [game], but as far as running and everything, he did more than probably a game would ask for and he recovered really well. So now it’s just the timing and trying to get different types of reps, whether it’s tag plays, backhands, double-play balls, that type of stuff, the stuff that’s tough to mimic. We’ll see what happens.’’

What are they saying?

“That means he’s close,’’ Schumaker said after the Rangers' 4-1 win against the Rays on Tuesday at Tropicana Field. “I’m excited to hear it."

What else?

Right-hander Chris Martin (right shoulder impingement) made his fourth rehab appearance on Tuesday for Triple-A Round Rock, pitching a scoreless sixth inning against Reno.