While the Los Angeles Dodgers have welcomed back Cody Bellinger, Zach McKinstry and AJ Pollock, they remain without Corey Seager since he sustained a fractured right hand on May 15.
Seager was hit by a pitch during a game against the Miami Marlins and immediately removed. X-rays confirmed he had suffered a fractured fifth metacarpal in his right hand, which the Dodgers were relieved to learn would not require surgery.
“I think we dodged a bullet on that one. No surgery required. He’s in a splint and we’re just going to kind of let it heal,” manager Dave Roberts said at the time. “With a broken hand, the timeline is pretty vague. So that’s kind of where it’s at.”
Roberts added the minimum time he expected Seager to miss was four weeks. “I just don’t know. You’ve just got to let it happen,” Roberts said of a potential timeline.
The 2020 World Series MVP has kept active through body workouts, fielding ground balls and other activities. The process has required Seager to be patient and take guidance from the Dodgers training staff rather than pressure them with questions, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I try not to do that, to be honest with you – because then you’re just freaking mad one way or the other,” the Dodgers shortstop said when asked if he has an idea when his fractured metacarpal will have healed and allow him to return to the field. I just try to be a good boy. Let them tell me when I can do things.”
Seager’s recovery process has included a weekly examination of his right hand, which thus far have shown the bone healing well:
The splint is off his right hand and he underwent another scan Saturday afternoon, three weeks after he suffered the fractured bone when he was hit by a pitch. The training staff has repeated the scan weekly to make sure the bone is healing properly and remains aligned.
Seager is with the Dodgers on their road trip and continues to take one-handed swings along with now being cleared to throw a baseball. “The progression each day has gotten a whole lot better,” Roberts said. “For us to have him around is a positive.”
When will Seager return?
Although Seager has continued to make progress in his recovery, it remains unclear when he will be activated. First would need to come taking two-handed swings, then a rehab assignment. Thus, at minimum, the 2020 World Series MVP appears to be at least two weeks from returning.
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