Dodgers: A Healing Corey Seager Could Be Back Sooner Than Hoped

Nearly four weeks ago, the Dodgers lost Corey Seager to the injured list with a fractured finger on his right hand. The shortstop was struck by a 90 mile-per-hour fastball that fractured his pinky finger (fifth metacarpal). Initially, Dave Roberts said that Seager would miss four weeks in the best-case scenario, and after Tuesday’s report, that might not be that far off it seems.

Speaking with media ahead of game 1 against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, the Dodger manager said that Seager would progress to taking two-handed swings off a tee in the next couple of days. From that point, things could ramp up quickly for the infielder.

I think that when you start taking the two-handed swings — given the fact that he’s already done a lot of rotation stuff, the core stuff, the one-handed swings — it’s a pretty quick ramp up. I’m sure he’s going to be standing in on bullpens to kind of get the gauging of velocity and spinning of the baseball.

Even after Seager hit the IL, he continued working on mostly every facet of baseball activity outside of swinging and hitting a ball with two hands. Since the injury was on his right hand, he’s been able to field, run, and even work on swing drills with his left or top hand. More recently, he’s added throwing to the regimen after scans revealed continued proper healing.

Related: When Will Corey Seager Return to the Lineup?

So, how soon can we expect Corey back?

I don’t want to put a timeline on it, but it is quicker than I would have expected. You’ve got a young body that certainly heals pretty quickly and you’ve got to an eager player so that kind of lends itself to that.

To his credit, Seager isn’t trying to rush things. He’s staying patient and being a “good boy” while listening to the LA training staff. A smart move for the 27-year-old soon-to-be free agent. 

While Corey and the team will continue to play it safe, don’t be surprised to see Seags back at shortstop before the end of June if all continues to go well.

NEXT: Roberts Praises David Price and Jimmy Nelson, Talks Importance of Fifth Starter