Seager out much of spring after surgery for hernia
World Series MVP Corey Seager had surgery Tuesday for a left sports hernia repair, and the Texas Rangers’ All-Star shortstop will miss most of spring training.
General manager Chris Young said the operation was performed by Dr. Venkata Evani in Arizona, where the team holds spring training. Young, who described his level of concern as “very low,” said Seager will remain in Arizona to begin his rehabilitation and the Rangers are hopeful he will be ready by opening day.
“I’m not going to commit to a hard timeline,” Young said. “The hope is that by the end of spring, he’ll have resumed baseball activity and will be pretty close to full speed at that point.”
Young said the hernia issue came up during the postseason, when Seager was managing it with minor treatment in the trainer’s room, though it didn’t impact his play as the Rangers won their first World Series title. The original hope was that the issue would subside after extended rest during the offseason.
“It was manageable. The thought was, may continue to be manageable, but there is the chance that it continues to get worse,” Young said. “The fact that he’s still feeling it at this point, became pretty clear that this may be difficult to manage and at some point would likely need to be repaired.”
Seager hit .318 with six homers, 12 RBIs and 15 walks in 17 postseason games last year. He homered three times in the World Series against Arizona, including a tying drive in the ninth inning of the opener.
Angelos family set to sell Orioles
The Angelos family has reached an agreement to sell the Baltimore Orioles to private equity billionaire David Rubenstein, according to a source with direct knowledge of the deal. Rubenstein is set to take over team control as part of the deal, which values the franchise at $1.725 billion.
The Angelos family has owned the team since Peter Angelos bought it for $173 million in 1993. Legal documents from 2022 revealed that the longtime owner wished for the team to be sold following his death so his wife, Georgia, “could enjoy the great wealth they had amassed together.” His elder son, John, has been the team’s control person since 2020.
Rubenstein is a Baltimore native, philanthropist and founder of the Carlyle Group. Puck News, which was the first to report the sale on Tuesday evening, said he will initially assume a 40% ownership stake in the Orioles, with an agreement to purchase the remaining equity upon the death of family patriarch Peter Angelos.
Turner reaches deal with Jays
Infielder Justin Turner and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $13 million, one-year deal, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
Turner, 39, hit .276 with 23 homers, 96 RBIs and an .800 OPS last season for the Boston Red Sox. The two-time All-Star spent the previous nine seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Toronto has been eager to add offense to a team that struggled to score last season. He was a designated hitter 98 times last year while appearing 41 times in the infield. Free agent Matt Chapman played third base for Toronto last season.
Robinson statue found in pieces
A Wichita, Kan., youthbaseball league’s Jackie Robinson statue — which was cut at its feet and stolen from McAdams Park last week, leading to a citywide manhunt and national media attention — was found charred and in pieces Tuesday morning in Garvey Park, about seven miles from where it was stolen.
City council member Brandon Johnson said a new statue will be built. There is still a mold from the original sculptor, the late John Parsons, so the new statue will be identical, League 42 founder and executive director Bob Lutz said.
Odds and ends
The Mariners acquired second baseman Jorge Polanco from the Twins on Monday for pitchers Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Topa, two minor leaguers and cash. The prospects going to the Twins are outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez and pitcher Darren Bowen . ... The Mariners also acquired infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor from the Royals on Tuesday for a player to be named or cash . ... The Royals finalized a $4.5 million, one-year contract with utilityman Adam Frazier on Tuesday.