Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Corey Seager is back from the injured list.
The Texas Rangers activated Seager from the 10-day injured list before their weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians, and the two-time World Series MVP was expected to return to the lineup Friday, according to Reuters. Seager had been sidelined since mid-May because of lower-back inflammation.
Seager remains one of the most important players from the Dodgers’ 2020 championship team, winning World Series MVP as Los Angeles ended its 32-year title drought.
That history gives his Rangers return a wider pull. Seager is now several seasons removed from Los Angeles, but his career arc still tracks closely with Dodgers fans who watched him develop from franchise cornerstone to October star to one of baseball’s highest-paid shortstops.
Corey Seager Returns After Back Injury
Seager’s injury absence came during a difficult stretch at the plate.
Reuters reported that Seager was batting .179 this season and had gone through a career-worst 27-at-bat hitless streak before returning from the injured list. The Rangers also optioned outfielder Alejandro Osuna and infielder Cody Freeman to Triple-A Round Rock as part of the roster shuffle.
The injury itself was not a season-ending development, but back issues are always worth watching for a hitter whose value is tied to timing, torque and repeated high-intensity swings. Seager had been out since May 13, per Reuters, before being cleared to rejoin Texas.
The Rangers know Seager is healthy enough to activate. Now they need to see whether the time away can help him reset offensively.
For a player with Seager’s track record, the slump does not erase the larger résumé. But it does explain why his return carries more tension than a routine activation. Texas is not just getting a familiar name back in the lineup. The Rangers need one of their franchise pillars to start producing like one.
Seager Still Has a Lasting Dodgers Connection
Seager’s Dodgers legacy remains unusually strong because of what he did in October.
MLB.com noted that Seager was named World Series MVP when the Dodgers won the 2020 championship. That run came after Los Angeles had suffered multiple postseason disappointments despite being one of MLB’s most talented teams year after year.
Seager was central to the breakthrough. He gave the Dodgers elite production at a premium position and became one of the faces of the title team, alongside stars such as Mookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw.
His departure after the 2021 season was one of the biggest exits of the Dodgers’ modern run. The Rangers signed Seager to a 10-year deal worth $325 million, according to MLB.com, making him a centerpiece of Texas’ long-term plans.
That investment paid off in a way that only strengthened Seager’s postseason reputation. In 2023, Seager won his second World Series MVP award as the Rangers captured their first championship. MLB.com noted he became just the fourth player to win the award twice.
That is why injury updates involving Seager still register in Los Angeles. He is not merely a former Dodger who left in free agency. He is one of the players most closely tied to the franchise’s most important championship in a generation.
Rangers Need the Former Dodgers MVP Version of Seager
The Rangers’ immediate concern is not nostalgia. It is whether Seager can help change the shape of their lineup after missing time with the back issue.
Reuters reported that outfielder Wyatt Langford may also be activated after recovering from a forearm strain, which could give Texas a broader offensive boost.
For Seager, the assignment is simpler and more personal: prove the back is behind him and turn the lineup spot back into a source of damage.
Dodgers fans know what that looks like when Seager is right. His swing has always been capable of changing a postseason series or carrying an offense through a tight stretch. That is the version Texas paid for, and it is the version the Rangers need now.
There is no direct Dodgers roster impact from Seager’s activation. Los Angeles has long since moved into a different era. But Seager’s return is still notable for a fan base that remembers how much he meant to the organization’s 2020 title run.
The Rangers are getting their shortstop back. Dodgers fans are getting another reminder that one of their former October heroes is still trying to write meaningful chapters after leaving Los Angeles.
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