ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Seager's first hit in a month for the Texas Rangers was a big one in his return from the injured list.
Seager belted a two-run homer homer in the sixth inning that put the Rangers ahead in a 3-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night. The five-time All-Star shortstop and two-time World Series MVP missed the previous 19 games because of lower back inflammation.
That homer also snapped a career-worst 0-for-29 slump in his 12 big league seasons, since his previous hit May 6.
“It was just nice to get out there with the guys again,” Seager said. “You obviously want to help.”
He went deep off Cleveland rookie Parker Messick right after a double by Wyatt Langford, who was also activated from the IL before the game. Seager’s eighth homer of the season made it 3-2.
“It's definitely good to have them back,” said Rangers manager Skip Schumaker, who saw good signs early in the game. “Their timing looked right the first at-bat, both of them. ... Good news on both ends.”
Langford, the left fielder, had missed 39 games since going on the injured list April 22 because of a right forearm strain. They batted 1-2 in the lineup and their consecutive extra-base hits came in their third at-bats.
Seager, still hitting .181 in his 43 games, went into the series opener in an 0-for-27 slide that included 11 strikeouts. He had been hitless in his previous seven games, also a career worst, since an RBI single on May 6 at Yankee Stadium after he hit a home run earlier in that game.
“I’m excited to see, really for the first time in some time, our group together. Still missing (second baseman) Josh Smith, but beyond that, we have not had our group together in a long time,” Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations, said before the game.
“Look at the past week, 10 days, and there have been a lot of positives with the way we’ve played,” Young said. “And now getting Corey and Wyatt back in this lineup, I think will be very big for us. I’m excited to see what that does for everybody.”
The Rangers (31-32) have won six of their last seven games.
“Honestly, in a weird way, it’s an easier way to come back for me and Wyatt when the team’s going (good),” Seager said. “You've just got to hop on the train and keep going. So it’s definitely nice to be playing good and just to be able to be back out there.”
Utility man Cody Freeman and outfielder Alejandro Osuna were optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to make room on the roster. Utility player Sam Haggerty was designated for assignment after he was activated from the bereavement/family medial emergency list.
Langford and Seager played in two rehab games together this week at Double-A Frisco. That was after Langford played two games with Round Rock.
Seager hadn't been in a big league game since May 13. At that point, the 32-year-old shortstop had started 42 of the Rangers' first 43 games. He said then that physically he felt “completely fine” after playing all of their 24 games in a 27-day span.
The Rangers had a day off after that and planned for Seager to get an extra break by sitting out the series opener at Houston. But he didn't play at all in that series after waking up one morning with back spasms.
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