Seager placed on injured list for third time this season

CLEVELAND -- About two minutes into the Rangers’ eventual 4-2 win over the Guardians on Tuesday at Progressive Field, Rangers head trainer Matt Lucero noticed something was wrong with Corey Seager.

While Seager had gone through his pregame routine without any problem, and was on the top step of the dugout with a bat in his hand ready to hit third in the lineup, Lucero still noticed that something seemed off.

After having a conversation with Seager, he called manager Skip Schumaker over to let him know that Seager was going to need to be pulled due to back discomfort.

“I had to pivot,” Schumaker said.

That pivot resulted in Schumaker pinch-hitting for Seager in the first inning with rookie Cam Cauley, who made his MLB debut the night prior.

Schumaker is going to need to keep pivoting, as the Rangers placed Seager on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday due to lower back inflammation. Josh Smith was called up from Triple-A Round Rock in his place.

“His back didn’t really recover this morning, so we’ve got to get further testing and get his back right and get him healthy,” Schumaker said Wednesday.

Seager’s addition to the injured list is even more ominous, especially since he missed 19 games earlier this season due to lower back inflammation. Seager described the theme of his pregame conversation with Schumaker and Lucero as “not trying to be dumb” and pushing through the injury.

The flareup adds even more insult to (literal) injury in what’s been a tough June. He missed 12 games earlier this month due to a concussion, and played in just three games last week before missing the first two contests of Texas’ series against the Guardians.

“It’s been a tough month, that’s for sure,” Seager said Tuesday night.

Seager will undergo further testing once the team arrives in Dallas.

“Until we get further testing or imaging, I don’t know if it’s the same thing [as his previous back injury] or something different,” Schumaker said.

Seager entered Tuesday’s game slashing .182/.292/.374, with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs in 50 games. He had played in three games since returning from the concussion, going 1-for-10 (though his lone hit was a home run).

A long-term injury to Seager would have a huge impact on the Rangers, who just placed Wyatt Langford on the injured list with a left hamstring strain and are having to play without Brandon Nimmo for the time being.

The good news for the Rangers is that it looks like Nimmo’s sprained AC Joint isn’t going to result in him going on the injured list.

He got a shot Tuesday night to deal with inflammation in the joint, and if everything goes well in his recovery, he could be back in the Rangers’ lineup over the weekend.

But those losses didn’t hurt them on Tuesday, as they got seven strong innings from Jacob deGrom, and just enough offense to squeak past Cleveland to win their sixth game in a row.

“Baseball doesn't stop for anyone,” Schumaker said. “These guys have a willingness to win. Of course we want Corey and Wyatt and Brandon in our lineup. We have some really good guys who aren’t playing right now, and there’s no question that we want them back in the lineup.

“These are team wins, and it’s not surprising to me how this group has come together in the last month.”