BOSTON — This was not a scheduled off day, and now, the Rangers will hope that more won’t follow.
Rangers shortstop Corey Seager is considered day-to-day after a home plate collision in Thursday’s win against the Kansas City Royals left him “a little banged up,” manager Skip Schumaker said, and he will not start Friday’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Rangers will start infielder Ezequiel Duran at shortstop in his place.
Seager collided with Royals catcher Carter Jensen at home plate when he scored on right fielder Brandon Nimmo‘s first-inning double. He remained in the game, hit a home run in his next at-bat two frames later but felt pain in his jaw and ribs Friday morning.
“He felt bad when he woke up,” Schumaker said. “Hopefully he feels better tomorrow.”
Schumaker said the Rangers have not yet discussed whether Seager will need time on the injured list or not. The 32 year old missed three weeks with lower back inflammation before he returned last Friday vs. the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field. He’s slashed .238/.273/.524 with two home runs in five games since he was activated from the injured list but still has only a .657 OPS in 47 games this season.
The Rangers can survive with Duran — nicknamed “The Solution” because of his ability to fill holes across the team’s defense and lineup — at shortstop in the interim. Duran has slashed .351/.372/.514 at shortstop this season and, per FanGraphs, is tied for the team lead with 1.9 WAR. If Seager does require a stint on the injured list, they could potentially activate second baseman Josh Smith, who’s slashed .294/.409/.706 with a pair of home runs in the last week on a minor league rehab assignment.