The Los Angeles Dodgers went into Spring Training with a plan to ease the workload for several of their regulars. The plan was crafted in response to a 2017 campaign that saw the Dodgers play into November. But for Corey Seager, easing into play is more of a necessity.
He was dogged by a sore right elbow in the second half of last season, then suffered a back injury in the National League Division Series that kept him out of the NL Championship Series. While Seager returned for the World Series, he was hardly his effective self.
Although the 23-year-old intimated offseason surgery on his elbow was a possibility, he reported to camp fully healthy after a winter of rest and rehab. Though, Seager remains limited in throwing.
With that, he’s slated to only bat as the Dodgers open Cactus League play this weekend, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
#Dodgers Corey Seager will DH in games Friday and Saturday. Still progressing through steps of throwing program
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 21, 2018
Not one to willingly sit out, Seager admitted to needing to find a balance between rest and being in the lineup come the regular season. Last year, he voiced some frustration with the Dodgers’ efforts to provide days off and reduce the extra work Seager prefers to put forth in the batting cage.
Not being at 100 percent healthy during the spring is nothing new for the All-Star shortstop. Seager was slowed by a sprained knee in 2016, and oblique tightness last year. Like with each of those cases, the Dodgers again will err on the side of caution, with a focus and emphasis on the regular season, not Cactus League play.
