Is Corey Seager Injured or Healthy? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

Is Corey Seager injured or healthy for the start of the 2024 season? Brenton looks at the latest MLB injury reports and the fantasy baseball injury outlook for Corey Seager.

Corey Seager has been no stranger to the injured list throughout his big-league career. He's had Tommy John surgery, dealt with multiple hamstring issues, fractured his hand, and sprained his thumb. He made two separate trips to the IL in 2023 due to hamstring and thumb injuries, playing in just 119 games as a result.

Despite the ailments, Seager put forth an MVP-caliber season when healthy and helped steer the Rangers to the first World Series championship in franchise history. It was the best season of his career as he posted career-highs across the board despite missing 43 games due to injury.

However, Seager recently underwent sports hernia surgery. The issue has reportedly put his Opening Day status in doubt. Let's dive into what the injury is and Seager's fantasy baseball outlook for the 2024 season.

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Corey Seager Injury Update

It's unclear when exactly the injury arose but it did not heal as hoped over the winter and Seager opted for surgery. The Rangers say he will miss most of spring training but could be ready for Opening Day, although that outcome seems far from guaranteed at this time. Rangers general manager Chris Young says the concern for Seager is relatively low.

The 2023 World Series MVP hit .318 with a 1.133 OPS in the postseason last fall as it appears the injury did not impact his on-field performance. It's certainly unfortunate that his 2024 campaign could now be affected, however, rest and rehab ultimately did not solve the issue.

At this point, it appears Seager is more likely to miss Opening Day than play but both outcomes are possibilities at this point.

Corey Seager Fantasy Baseball Outlook

In short, there should be zero panic for current or prospective fantasy managers when it comes to Seager's current injury. As noted, he battled both hamstring and thumb ailments in 2023 and still managed to hit .327 with 33 home runs, 96 RBI, and a 1.013 OPS across just 119 games, good for a 169 wRC+ that puts his production 69% above the league average. That was the third-best mark in baseball among players with a minimum of 500 plate appearances behind Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr.

The 29-year-old has battled injuries, gone through multiple rehabs, and has come out with a career .292 average and a .873 OPS in parts of nine big-league campaigns. Injuries have not translated into underperformance to this point.

The Rangers say they won't seek an insurance shortstop at this point. That tells us how serious they believe the injury to be. If he misses minimal time to begin the season, so what? He's elite when on the field and this ailment isn't likely to cost him much, if any, regular-season time.

It appears safe to proceed as planned when it comes to Corey Seager in 2024.

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