Rangers manage injury list as Seager sidelined and Jung undergoes MRI

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager remains on the 10-day injured list with lower back inflammation and has not resumed actual baseball activities, despite being eligible for return on Monday. Manager Skip Schumaker stated Seager is “still probably a few days away” from batting practice or taking groundballs. Seager was placed on the list after waking with back spasms on May 15, following a career-worst 0-for-27 slump.

Third baseman Josh Jung is sidelined with a left shoulder issue sustained during a defensive play. An MRI revealed no significant damage to his non-throwing shoulder, and Jung reports full range of motion. Jung previously tore his labrum in the same shoulder in February 2022, though he had been pain-free since that injury.

Other notable roster updates include left fielder Wyatt Langford, who is progressing from a right forearm strain, and second baseman Josh Smith, who is recovering from viral meningitis.

Seager went through some drills before the series opener against Houston but was not cleared for live baseball activities. The Rangers scratched a planned live batting practice session for Seager on Saturday, a day after he had jogged on the field and hit in the cage.

“I don’t know if it’s a setback,” Schumaker said. “I just think it hasn’t recovered as fast as we hoped for it.”

Langford took batting practice in the cage on Monday; if he progresses without issues, he could take live BP and run bases by Friday. Smith, previously hospitalized for viral meningitis, could return to the ballpark in the next couple of days.