Corey Seager is moving closer to a return, but the Rangers still have a few boxes to check before they can put their shortstop back in the lineup.
Seager has been ramping up his work as he comes back from an injured back, and the latest step was a meaningful one. Per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, he did more hitting off a machine, took more ground balls at shortstop and, most importantly, ran the bases. In the rehab process, that usually comes near the end.
For a position player, base running is one of the last tests because it’s something he has to do in a game. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Seager “felt good” after running the bases before the club’s series finale with the Chicago White Sox.
Thursday’s off day should help the process. With no game on the schedule, Seager is expected to get a chance to rest after three straight days of rehab work. That recovery piece matters, especially with a back issue, and the Rangers want to see how he responds before moving to the final step: live batting practice.
Schumaker said that could come as soon as Friday, when Texas opens a four-game set with the Seattle Mariners. Live BP is the closest thing to game action the Rangers can create before a player returns. It usually includes two to four simulated at-bats, with different pitches and breaks between each round.
For a veteran like Seager, who has two World Series MVP awards, the normal pattern is one live BP session followed by a day of rest. The Rangers are watching closely to make sure he can handle the work at full speed.
If Seager gets through that session and receives the go-ahead, Schumaker said a rehab assignment would likely follow. Seager has often gone straight from the injured list back into the big league lineup, but earlier this season the Rangers sent him to Double-A Frisco for a brief rehab start while he was working back from his first back injury.
The timing of his return could also depend on how this weekend unfolds. Texas and Seattle enter the four-game series as the top two teams in the AL West, and the Rangers may decide Seager’s presence is even more urgent depending on the results. After that, Texas heads to Tampa on Tuesday and then to Houston for a three-game series that runs right up to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Seager’s status could shape plenty of what the Rangers do next. For now, though, the process still comes down to one step at a time.
In Other News...
Should Rangers Bet On A Familiar Deadline Fix For Rotation Woes
With the trade deadline approaching, the Rangers are still sorting through a rotation that has been hit by uncertainty and needs innings in the worst way. Jordan Montgomery, Cody Bradford and Jack Leiter have all added to the sense that Texas may need to look outside the organization for a starter, and the club is at least exploring the kind of low-cost move that could steady things without forcing a major long-term commitment.
One familiar name has surfaced as a possible fit because of the way the market and the Rangers needs line up. The pitcher in question has had a rough overall season with the Giants, but his recent run has been better, including a July stretch that suggests there may still be something usable there. For Texas, the appeal is obvious: a short-term fix, limited risk and a chance to patch a glaring hole without paying a premium, even if the final decision comes down to whether the front office believes the rebound is real. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Deadline Gamble Fans Will Be Split On
With the trade deadline closing in, the Rangers are being pushed toward a familiar kind of decision: whether to spend prospect capital on help for a bullpen that needs another reliable right-handed arm for the middle innings and high-leverage spots. The idea is straightforward enough for a club trying to stay in the race, but it still comes with the usual cost of moving young talent before it has fully arrived in Arlington.
Corey Seager is the other part of the conversation, and it is the one that figures to split fans more sharply. Even with the slump and the injury questions hanging over him, the case against dealing him is clear enough: the Rangers should not be in the business of taking a low-end return on a player with that kind of track record and importance. For now, the deadline pressure is less about whether Texas should make a move than about how far it is willing to go without turning a short-term fix into a long-term mistake. [Read more 🡒]
Two New Rangers Arms Just Changed The Prospect Conversation
The Rangers 2026 draft class already looks like it could reshape how the organization is viewed on the prospect front, with both Gio Rojas and Brody Bumila landing on ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniels updated top 10 list. Rojas, the No. 16 overall pick, came in with the kind of pedigree that usually forces a quick adjustment in a farm system, while Bumila arrived as a later selection after the Rangers went well above slot to get him signed for $2.75 million.
For a club that has spent the past few years trying to keep its pipeline stocked, having two new arms jump into the conversation this quickly is a notable development. Rojas was a high-profile high school pitcher before turning pro, and Bumilas own prep resume made him one of the more intriguing additions in the class, giving Texas a pair of young pitchers worth tracking as they begin their pro careers. [Read more 🡒]