The Texas Rangers revealed a positive injury prognosis for a pair of All-Stars, with both shortstop Corey Seager and catcher Jonah Heim on best-case-scenario recovery timetables.
Seager was expected to miss more than two weeks after suffering a right thumb sprain on July 21, but the Rangers said his recovery is now ahead of schedule.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters Seager is “a little bit further ahead than we thought he would be,” and general manager Chris Young said he hopes the four-time All-Star will rejoin the team this week.
“He’s doing some modified baseball activities,” Young told reporters, according to The Dallas Morning News. “All signs point to him being back sometime shortly thereafter the 10-day period, but again, that could change. One step at a time, but everything right now is going very well.”
Heim was potentially lost for the season with a strained left wrist that occurred last week, but Young said the Rangers now are “cautiously optimistic” he can return to help the cause before the regular season concludes. Heim is expected to resume baseball activities within the next few weeks.
In his second season with the Rangers, Seager has been batting .350 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 66 games. Heim was batting .280 with 14 home runs and 70 RBIs.
The Rangers made a move Tuesday to bolster their catching depth during Heim’s absence, acquiring veteran Austin Hedges from the Pittsburgh Pirates just ahead of Major League Baseball’s trade deadline.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.