The Rangers are placing Corey Seager on the injured list, and are replacing him with veteran infielder Nick Ahmed
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager has been placed on the 10 day injured list with a hamstring strain, the team announced today. Replacing Seager on the active roster will be infielder Nick Ahmed, who was recently re-signed to a minor league deal. To make room for Ahmed on the 40 man roster, the Rangers have designated pitcher Walter Pennington for assignment.
Seager left last night’s game after a ground out where he pulled up running to first and grabbed his leg, so this news is not surprising. The good news is that the hamstring strain is apparently mild, and he is expected to need just a short stint on the i.l.
Ahmed, 35, has spent his entire career as a shortstop, including several seasons as the Diamondbacks’ shortstop, and will presumably be the backup infielder while Seager is out. Ahmed is not much of a hitter, having a career .234/.287/.371 slash line, as well as a .221/.262/.299 slash line in 438 plate appearances the past two seasons. He came to camp with the Rangers as a non-roster invitee, opted out of his deal when he didn’t make the team, and then was recently re-signed. He could end up sticking around once Seager returns if the Rangers decide they want Dustin Harris to get regular playing time in AAA rather than playing occasionally in the majors, and if the Rangers decide they’d prefer to use the last spot on the bench on a veteran that rarely plays rather than a young player who rarely plays.
Pennington, who turned 27 last week, is a lefthanded reliever who was acquired from the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline last year in exchange for Michael Lorenzen. He put up a 3.12 ERA in 17 innings over 15 appearances for the Rangers last year, but never really seemed to be in the mix for a spot in the major league pen this year. I’m guessing he gets traded for a fringe prospect in the next few days.