The Rangers have placed shortstop Corey Seager on the seven-day concussion-related injured list. Infielder/outfielder Josh Smith has been reinstated from the 10-day IL in a corresponding move. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to relay the news.
The injury stems from a play in Kansas City on Thursday, as seen in this clip from Baseball Savant. Seager is on first and is trying to score from first on a double by Brandon Nimmo. As the throw comes in to home, catcher Carter Jensen lunges to field it and bumps into Seager just as he is sliding into the plate. Seager was clearly banged up and hasn’t played since then.
It’s the latest setback in a frustrating season for Seager. Low back inflammation sent him to the IL from mid-May to early June. He was reinstated from the IL and now, less than two weeks later, this situation has sent him back to the IL. Around the injuries, Seager has a .186/.284/.373 line on the year, easily the worst performance of his career.
Josh Smith has also been having a rough one. He hit just .217/.324/.239 before a glute strain sent him to the IL in early May. While on the shelf, he then had to deal with some wrist inflammation and then was hospitalized due to viral meningitis. He’s now back after almost six weeks away. Perhaps the time on the shelf has helped him put all of those issues behind him and will allow him to regain his prior form. He slashed .254/.336/.380 over the prior two seasons.
Ezequiel Durán came into the year in a bench role after he slashed .224/.266/.293 in 2025. The injuries to Seager and Smith have opened up more playing time for him and he has responded with a .281/.332/.429 showing this year. While Seager is out, Durán should get the bulk of the shortstop time with Smith at second. If everyone gets healthy at the same time, then perhaps Durán would have to find playing time in the outfield, though the Rangers would probably consider that the proverbial “good problem to have” at this point.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images
