ANAHEIM, Calif. — Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford and shortstop Corey Seager have trended in opposite directions with their respective injury recoveries.
Langford, sidelined since April 22 with a right forearm strain, had a “really good day” of hitting, throwing and running before Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels at Angels Stadium, according to Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. The 24-year-old is expected to take batting practice and face pitchers when the Rangers return to Globe Life Field this week. He’d then be in line to attempt another minor league rehab assignment soon after if he passes those tests.
“We’ll see what happens,” Schumaker said, “but I think today was like, a really, really good day for him.”
Schumaker acknowledged that Langford is now “probably” further ahead of Seager in his recovery. Seager is eligible to be activated off the injured list before Monday’s series opener against the Houston Astros, and while he and the Rangers had once believed that could be a possibility, his eventual return date will now at least be rolled into June.
Seager, who’s been on the injured list since May 15 with lower back inflammation, hit a snag in his comeback attempt and will be reevaluated in “probably another week,” per Schumaker. The 32-year-old jogged, hit in the cages and trained in the weight room before Friday’s series opener, but after his back “wasn’t where we wanted it to be” a day later, the Rangers nixed a scheduled live batting practice.