Dodgers: What is the Extent of Corey Seager’s Elbow Injury?

There are some nervous stomachs in most Dodger fans this week. All-Star shortstop, Corey Seager, has been limited strictly to pinch-hitting duties the past two games. Not a single fan of the Dodgers ever wants to hear, “Corey Seager” and “injured” in the same sentence – unless of course, “not” appears before “injured.”

It is scary enough to hear elbow injuries alone, but to further learn that Seager is nursing the elbow on his throwing arm, more people have become more nervous. This situation is especially tense for fans, after seeing what their former All-Star first-baseman, Adrian Gonzalez has continually dealt with this season. Gonzalez has had reoccurring elbow issues this season, which landed him on the Disabled List this season. So with the history of Gonzalez, this brings up the question: Is the Disabled List up next for Seager if he does not heal quickly?

Dodger fans obviously do not want to see the young stud make a trip to the Disabled List, but there could be some potential positives out of this outcome. Unlike last season, Seager is not necessarily in MVP conversations right now. So a 10-day DL stint could work well for the sake of getting Seager some extra rest before the postseason.

Getting consistent at-bats is great, but the current injury could be based on an overuse of throwing and maybe all Corey really needs is some time to recover. He has been an absolute workhorse since the day he became the starting shortstop of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last season Seager played in 157 games, and this year he has played in 121.

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The Dodger faithful want Corey to be firing on all cylinders going into October. We have all witnessed how steady he can be at the plate, and bounce back after off-days or below average performances. A 10-day break should not bother him much if that ends up being the solution to his sore elbow.

With the impact bat of Cody Bellinger returning to the Dodger lineup, there might be no better time than now to give Seager a rest. I think as fans we continue to forget that Seager is only 23 years old and could use a break after playing every day. Getting Bellinger back will take pressure off of the rest of the team and hopefully crack this four-game losing skid.

It seems that it is likely in the Dodgers’ best interest to give Corey Seager a break; because, while you want to keep winning now, the division is already locked up. The health of the Los Angeles stars is the biggest key for the team as they prepare for the postseason.

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There is essentially nothing better than giving the top performers’ rest days, and if they need to go to the DL to nurse a nagging injury, it makes sense to give them as much rest as they need to be sharp when playoffs roll around. Rather than pushing the button of uncertainty, with trying to keep Corey off of the Disabled List, we might end up seeing him on the 10-day very soon if there is minimal progress made with this little injury.