Seager might be out a few games
PHILADELPHIA — Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager received a day off Thursday after fouling a pitch off his right ankle the night before. An X-ray came back negative, but the foul left a bruise, causing Seager to limp through the clubhouse late Wednesday.
Seager already is dealing with inflammation in his throwing elbow, which could require offseason surgery, and a bruise on his calf from another foul ball. Manager Dave Roberts expected Seager to miss multiple games.
“We’ll just keep reevaluating,” Roberts said before Thursday’s series finale against the Phillies. “Hopefully, it’s a couple-day thing. And even tomorrow, we’ll see. I’m probably thinking about keeping him out of the lineup for a couple days.”
Logan Forsythe started at shortstop in Seager’s place on Thursday. Seager received 12 days off from playing in the field in August and September to rest his elbow. He did not play much during the team’s 1-16 skid. And since he returned to play, his bat has remained quiet.
Seager’s power has dipped since the All-Star break, and he has posted a .516 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
“With Corey in the lineup, we are considerably better,” Roberts said. “But No. 1, he’s got to get back to being healthy. We’ll try to keep him healthy through the postseason.”
Roberts meets with Stripling
After giving up two homers Wednesday, Ross Stripling did not receive the same treatment as Pedro Baez, who was invited to watch the rest of the series on the bench with Roberts after a poor performance Tuesday. Stripling went back to the bullpen and was available to pitch, although he wasn’t used Thursday.
But Roberts made sure to speak with Stripling, who has a 9.82 earned-run average in September. Stripling has become prone to hanging off-speed pitches. He gave up a three-run homer to Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Sunday in Washington.
“I did have a conversation with Ross,” Roberts said. “He was very down. If you look back at his last four outings, there was a little bit of bad luck. The last two, pitch execution were the factors. He just feels bad because he wants to help us win. He’s a tough kid. He’ll be fine.”
Stripling and Baez have hurt their cases to make the postseason roster this month.