The Texas Rangers spent half a billion dollars to make Corey Seager and Marcus Semien the foundation of their infield and their franchise. Now, with the team fighting for its postseason life, both stars are on the shelf—and the season may have slipped away for good.
Seager’s Sudden Setback
On Thursday, the Rangers announced that Seager underwent an appendectomy after experiencing severe abdominal pain. The surgery, performed in Texas after the club humiliated the Los Angeles Angels, was described as successful, but no timetable was given for his return. President of baseball operations Chris Young told reporters the team won’t rule out Seager returning this season, though he admitted the shortstop could also be finished for 2025.
“Corey did not want to rule out the season. In fact, he’s been researching athletes who’ve come back from this quickly,” Young told MLB.com. “The most important thing is making sure his health is right.”
Seager had played through discomfort during Wednesday’s 20–3 rout of the Angels, even hitting his 21st homer of the year before exiting in the fourth inning. His numbers—.271/.373/.487 with 21 homers and a 148 OPS+—made him one of the few reliable pieces in a lineup that has struggled for consistency. Losing him at this juncture is devastating.
To fill the void, Texas called up veteran Dylan Moore, signed earlier this week after his release by Seattle. Josh Smith will take the majority of starts at shortstop, with Ezequiel Duran and rookie Michael Helman mixing in. None of those options come close to replicating Seager’s production or leadership.
The Seager news comes just days after Marcus Semien, the other half of Texas’ record-setting infield investment, landed on the injured list with a broken bone and sprained ligament in his left foot. Semien, known for his durability—this is only his second career IL stint—had been grinding through a season in which he still managed to provide steady defense and timely power. Losing both of their cornerstone infielders simultaneously feels like the knockout punch.
The Rangers Look Finished
That makes two franchise pillars gone at the worst possible moment. Add in Nathan Eovaldi’s rotator cuff strain and Evan Carter’s season-ending wrist fracture, and the Rangers’ roster looks more like an infirmary than a playoff contender.
The standings don’t help either. With just 27 games left, Texas sits 68–67, 4.5 games behind Seattle for the final American League Wild Card spot. Both the Mariners and Kansas City Royals hold tiebreakers over the Rangers, meaning Texas would need to leapfrog two teams just to sneak in. Even with a recent surge—five wins in six games before Seager’s diagnosis—the math is grim. Without their two best players, the Rangers simply don’t have the firepower to keep pace with the league’s heavyweights.
Young tried to strike an optimistic tone, praising the group’s resilience. “Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us, and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves,” he said. “I expect them to continue fighting. We’ll see what happens.”
But the reality is clear: a team that raised expectations by winning the 2023 World Series now looks destined to miss the postseason for the second straight year. Injuries are part of the game, but no organization can withstand losing its $500-million middle infield when September rolls around.
Seager’s surgery might officially mark the end of the Rangers’ playoff push. With their two biggest stars sidelined, their rotation thinned, and the standings stacked against them, Texas doesn’t just look wounded. They look finished.
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