ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers welcomed back their star shortstop, Corey Seager, on Saturday following a stint on the injured list due to a right hamstring strain. The five-time All-Star, who missed ten games, couldn’t prevent a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners in his return. Seager, taking the role of designated hitter for the game, contributed a hit, a run, and a strikeout in four at-bats.
Before his injury, Seager was in excellent form, boasting a .286 average and four home runs along with six RBIs. He had been particularly impressive, batting .370 with three home runs over 12 games before sustaining his injury on April 22 while sprinting to first base against the Athletics. His recovery was swift, allowing him to miss only a minimal amount of time on the injured list.
In conjunction with Seager’s return, the Rangers shuffled their roster, sending infielder Jonathan Ornelas back to Triple-A Round Rock. During Seager’s absence, the Rangers struggled offensively, generating only 29 runs over ten games. A notable exception was their explosive 15-run performance against Oakland, though in the other nine games, they managed just 14 runs combined, including a narrow 2-0 victory. They suffered a heavy defeat, 13-1, against the AL West-leading Mariners to open their current series.
Before Saturday’s game, the Rangers were at the bottom of the American League with 104 runs scored. The match further deepened their woes, as the team’s record fell to 16-18, marking their first dip below .500 since their season opener loss to Boston.