SURPRISE, Ariz. — Rangers shortstop Corey Seager has been mostly sidelined this spring training while he's been recovering from offseason hernia surgery.
That changed this week.
On Monday, the reigning World Series MVP got his first crack at live batting practice since going under the knife in a matchup against Rangers reliever Josh Sborz.
Stefan Stevenson of Inside The Rangers reports that Seager chopped a ground ball off Sborz, then drove one to the right-center gap that would have been a ground-rule double.
The video released by the Rangers seems to indicate Seager is back to his old ways of hitting baseballs hard.
Seager also fielded groundballs during Monday's workout in Surprise, Arizona, and additionally got in some light running in the outfield.
What does that mean for his status on Opening Day, which, as of Tuesday, was only nine days away?
Nothing is guaranteed, and neither Seager nor manager Bruce Bochy have committed to him playing. But Monday's showing, coupled with previous reports out of camp, suggest Seager is trending in the right direction.
Rangers radio announcer Jared Sandler had previously reported last week that manager Bochy was growing "more optimistic" about Seager's return after seeing him take some swings.
Monday's batting practice seemed to validate that optimism, if nothing else.
Seager hit .327 with 33 homers in 2023, including an on-base percentage of .390 and a slugging percentage of .623. He missed two stints with injury in 2023, but didn't need much rehab time on each return.
As of Tuesday, though, it was still unclear how much game action, if any, Seager would need in spring training if he were to return in time for Opening Day.