The Texas Rangers have announced that star shortstop Corey Seager will not be in the lineup for a matchup against the Athletics on Thursday, April 16.
It’ll be Ezekiel Duran taking over at shortstop for the final contest of a four-game set in Sacramento. Seager has started every game this season. He slugged his fifth home run of the season in a 6-5 loss on Wednesday, April 15.
The Rangers wrap up their series in Sacramento with an afternoon game against left-hander Jacob Lopez. The club will head to Seattle for a three-game series that begins tomorrow night. Sitting Seager allows the team to get another right-handed bat in the lineup to oppose Lopez. It also affords Seager some rest in the midst of a 10-game road trip.
Texas Rangers Bench Corey Seager For Matchup Against Athletics
The home run on Wednesday was a much-needed swing for Seager. The 31-year-old went into the game stuck in a 2-for-24 slump. The skid had pushed his batting average for the season below .200. Seager is now tied for the team lead in home runs with Jake Burger. The first baseman launched a pair of home runs in the first game of the series. Burger’s three-run blast on Wednesday brought the Rangers within one, but they failed to tie the game against Joel Kuhnel in the ninth inning.
Texas has struggled mightily against left-handed pitching this season. The club ranks 28th in OPS and 29th in wOBA and wRC+ when facing southpaws. Surprisingly, the hard-hitting New York Yankees rank dead last in OPS, wOBA, and wRC+ versus lefties this year. Manager Skip Schumaker will try to change the vibes for the Rangers with a lineup that includes seven right-handed hitters. Brandon Nimmo and Josh Smith are the only lefty bats in the order vs. Lopez. Sam Haggerty is a switch-hitter, but he’ll obviously bat from the right side against Lopez.
Seager’s Slow Start at the Plate
The five-time All-Star is off to an uninspiring first few weeks of the campaign. Seager has slashed .203/.321/.453 across 78 appearances in 2026. His strikeout rate has jumped to a career-worst 25.6%, though he is walking at a strong 15.4% clip.
Lefties have been an issue for Seager so far this year. He’s just 3-for-17 against same-handed pitching. Seager is only punching out 19.0% of the time versus southpaws, but he doesn’t have any extra-base hits and has just 1 RBI. The lefty swinger typically has splits that skew toward right-handed pitching, but he’s usually still an above-average bat when facing lefties. Seager has a 114 wRC+ for his career against left-handed arms, compared to a 146 wRC+ vs. righties.
Seager inked a massive 10-year, $325 million contract with Texas heading into the 2022 season. He’s making $31.5 million this year. The shortstop will continue to make exactly that figure in each of the next five campaigns. Seager is not the most expensive player on the Rangers’ payroll. That honor goes to tight-hander Jacob deGrom, who inked a five-year, $185 million deal prior to the 2023 season. DeGrom is making $38 million with Texas this year.
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