Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager has to undergo a sports hernia operation that means the end of his season

SEATTLE – Corey Seager’s season is officially over.

He will spend the second straight offseason recovering from a hernia. The difference: This time, he won't wait for the injury to heal on its own. Seager will undergo surgery Friday to repair a hernia on the right side of his groin, the side opposite the one he had surgery on in January. Although GM Chris Young did not have an exact timeline for Seager's recovery, he said the surgery now should give Seager enough time to rehab from the surgery and be fully ready to play when the Rangers report to spring training in February.

“Every surgery is different,” Young said. “I can't give a timetable yet, but I think the decision to have the surgery now gives him the best chance of having a strong offseason.”

“The offseason is critical for any player, not just a player in rehab or a player undergoing surgery. It's a time when you really work hard and prepare for the next season so you enter spring training in top shape and are ready for a strong, healthy year. If you don't have that kind of offseason, you're a little behind from the start.”

Seager struggled with a hernia during the final stretch of the 2023 season, played through the postseason with it, and was ultimately named World Series MVP. He attempted to rehab the injury during the final offseason, but it did not worsen sufficiently and he underwent surgery to repair the injury on the left side of his groin on Jan. 30 in Arizona. He then spent most of spring training rehabbing and did not pitch in a game until the second-to-last day in Surprise. Dr. Venkata Evani, who performed the surgery in January, examined Seager this week in Phoenix. Dr. Evani will also perform the surgery on Friday.

It's not unusual for a player to have the problem on both sides, Young said, citing his own experience as a player who had surgery for a bilateral hernia. He said Seager's injury last year didn't affect the right side, but he understands that when one side of the muscle that attaches to the pelvis becomes weak, the other side often has to compensate.

Seager, 30, has been on the IL since Sept. 4. On Aug. 29 in Chicago, he hit his 30th home run of the season, making it three straight seasons of 30 home runs since joining the Rangers. He played in 123 games this year, 113 of them as shortstop. Over the past two seasons, Seager has been limited to fewer than 125 games. In 2023, he battled a hamstring strain that cost him a month and a thumb sprain that cost him 10 days.

In Seager's absence, the Rangers have used primarily infielder Josh Smith at shortstop, although both Jonathan Ornelas and Ezequiel Duran have each started. Smith may be at the end of his rope, however. He has already made 525 batting appearances, more than in his first two major seasons combined, and his offensive output has declined significantly toward the end of the season. He began the Seattle series with a batting average of just .224/.274/.304/.578 since August 1.

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