ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager broke out of a career-worst 0-for-29 hitting drought with a two-run home run in his return to action Friday night, marking his first game back after missing 19 contests due to lower back inflammation.
The five-time All-Star’s sixth-inning blast against Cleveland rookie Parker Messick followed a double by Wyatt Langford, who was also returning from the injured list. Seager’s eighth home run of the season gave Texas a 3-2 advantage.
Langford, playing left field, had been absent for 39 games since landing on the injured list April 22 with a right forearm strain. The duo occupied the first two spots in the batting order against the Guardians, and their back-to-back extra-base hits occurred during their third plate appearances of the contest.
Prior to the series opener against Cleveland, Seager was mired in an 0-for-27 stretch that featured 11 strikeouts. The two-time World Series MVP had gone hitless across his last seven games, also a career-high drought, dating back to an RBI single on May 6 at Yankee Stadium following a home run earlier in that same contest.
“I’m excited to see, really for the first time in some time, our group together. Still missing (second baseman) Josh Smith, but beyond that, we have not had our group together in a long time,” Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations, said before the game.
“Look at the past week, 10 days, and there have been a lot of positives with the way we’ve played,” Young said. “And now getting Corey and Wyatt back in this lineup, I think will be very big for us. I’m excited to see what that does for everybody.”
Prior to a defeat at St. Louis on Wednesday, the Rangers had compiled a five-game winning streak that represented their longest of the season.
Utility man Cody Freeman and outfielder Alejandro Osuna were sent to Triple-A Round Rock to create roster space. Utility player Sam Haggerty was designated for assignment after being activated from the bereavement/family medical emergency list.
Both Langford and Seager participated in two rehabilitation games together this week at Double-A Frisco. Langford had previously appeared in two contests with Round Rock.
“Definitely feel great. I feel like I’m in a really good spot,” Langford said before the game.
Seager, who was not available to reporters in the clubhouse before the game, had not appeared in a major league contest since May 13. At that time, the 32-year-old shortstop had started 42 of the Rangers’ initial 43 games. He indicated then that physically he felt “completely fine” after participating in all 24 games during a 27-day period.
The Rangers had a scheduled day off following that stretch and intended for Seager to receive additional rest by sitting out the series opener at Houston. However, he missed the entire series after experiencing back spasms upon waking one morning.
When Seager was placed on the IL, his batting average stood at .179 with seven homers and 20 RBIs. His 50 strikeouts represented 27.5% of his 182 plate appearances. He had managed just 6 hits in 61 at-bats (.098) with 23 strikeouts over his final 16 games.
During his initial rehab appearance Tuesday night, Seager recorded one hit in two at-bats with a single and handled two ground balls at shortstop. He went hitless in three at-bats on Wednesday.
Langford had posted a .238 batting average with one homer and four RBIs across 20 games for Texas before his injury designation. He went 2 for 10 with five walks during four rehab appearances.
