CLOSE

SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Steve Gardner breaks down which teams are on fire and which teams are underperforming. USA TODAY Sports

LINKEDIN 1 COMMENTMORE

A disappointing season just went from bad to worse for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

All-Star shortstop Corey Seager, who battled an elbow injury last year and was off to a slow start in 2018, will need season-ending surgery.

After an MRI Monday morning revealed a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in Seager's right elbow, the Dodgers announced he will undergo Tommy John surgery.

Seager, the 2016 National League rookie of the year, was hitting .267 with two homers and 13 RBI in his first 26 games. 

Elbow issues and a back injury slowed him at the end of the 2017 season and into the playoffs. He was left off the NL Championship Series roster so elbow inflammation could subside and returned for the World Series, batting .222 in the Dodgers' seven-game loss to the Houston Astros.

Seager told reporters Monday in Phoenix that Tommy John surgery was not discussed as an option following his last MRI, conducted after the World Series.

Seager's work ethic may also have been a contributing factor. A Los Angeles Times story this spring described the team's efforts to keep him from spending extra hours in the batting cage -- because some team officials felt his activity contributed to the inflammation that plagued Seager over the second half of last season. 

With Seager out, the Dodgers will likely turn to center fielder Chris Taylor or utilityman Kike Hernandez to take over at short. They also called up infielder Breyvic Valera from the minors to take Seager's spot on the roster, but he'll be used in a backup role.

The Dodgers do have some organizational depth in the outfield, which might make it easier to move Taylor to shortstop on a regular basis. The club recently promoted 21-year-old outfield prospect Alex Verdugo, who hit .314 last season at Class AAA Oklahoma City. They also have Andrew Toles, 25, due back off the disabled list soon. 

One other possible solution is looking outside the organization to replace Seager. The Dodgers were among several teams this offseason to express an interest in Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado, who will be a free agent at the end of this season. 

However, the price tag -- in terms of prospects and salary -- would be steep. 

Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner

Biggest surprises, good and bad, one month into MLB season

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Arizona Diamondbacks — After undergoing Tommy John
Arizona Diamondbacks — After undergoing Tommy John surgery, the hype around Patrick Corbin as an ace faded. Until now. Corbin is one of five major-league pitchers with four wins already and is sporting a 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 55 strikeouts against seven walks.  Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Braves — There have always been high expectations
Atlanta Braves — There have always been high expectations for Ozzie Albies, but he has delivered in a big way much earlier than expected. The 21-year-old 2B leads the majors in total bases (75), is tied for the lead in runs (29) and doubles (12), and he's tied for NL lead in hits (34) and homers (nine).  David Kohl, USA TODAY Sports
Baltimore Orioles — The Orioles' offense ranks third
Baltimore Orioles — The Orioles' offense ranks third to last in the major leagues, and one of the biggest letdowns has been Chris Davis. Crush has never been a batting average guy and this year is more of the same (.167), but he's only hit two home runs while slugging .256.  Evan Habeeb, USA TODAY Sports
Boston Red Sox — Rick Porcello had seven mostly mediocre
Boston Red Sox — Rick Porcello had seven mostly mediocre seasons before winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2016. That felt like an outlier when he went 11-17 with a 4.65 ERA and led the major leagues in home runs allowed. But, after a 4-0 start that includes a 2.23 ERA and only one homer allowed in 40⅓ innings, maybe 2017 is his new outlier.  Winslow Townson, USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Cubs — After four consecutive 30-plus home
Chicago Cubs — After four consecutive 30-plus home run seasons, Anthony Rizzo is on pace for eight this year. Now it's obvious no one really expects that to happen, but Rizzo has only hit one home run — and it came on opening day. And that's his only extra-base hit, as he's hitting just .157 and slugging .200.  Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports
Chicago White Sox — It wasn't long ago that Lucas Giolito
Chicago White Sox — It wasn't long ago that Lucas Giolito was among the most heralded prospects in the game, but he has struggled to find his footing in the majors. In his first season as a full-time member of a major-league rotation, he has posted a 7.71 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP, stats among the worst in the league by qualifying pitchers.  Brad Rempel, USA TODAY Sports
Cincinnati Reds — There was a lot of hope for right-handed
Cincinnati Reds — There was a lot of hope for right-handed fireballer Luis Castillo to show he could lead the Reds' young rotation. That hasn't been the case, as Castillo has started six games and is 1-3 with a 7.85 ERA, allowing an NL-worst 25 earned runs. He has also struck out 2.4 fewer batters per nine innings than last season's 9.9 average.  Jeff Curry, USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Indians — After an explosive spring training,
Cleveland Indians — After an explosive spring training, there was optimism that Jason Kipnis' woeful 2017 season was merely a product of his many injuries. But Kipnis has personified the Tribe's struggling offense, slashing .167/.248/.225 without a homer, and his strikeout rate is up 5% from his career norm.  Scott R. Galvin, USA TODAY Sports
Colorado Rockies —Jon Gray showed signs in his last
Colorado Rockies —Jon Gray showed signs in his last start that he might be getting back on track, blanking the Padres on three hits over six innings with 11 strikeouts. But that came after turning in duds in four of his first five starts. The Rockies' opening-day starter is 2-4 with a 5.79 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.  Brad Mills, USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Tigers — When Francisco Liriano finished last
Detroit Tigers — When Francisco Liriano finished last season as a long reliever with the Astros, there might have been some wonder whether his career was fading into the sunset. He's put that to rest so far, leading the Tigers' staff in wins (3) and innings pitched (29⅓), while posting a respectable 3.38 ERA.  Tommy Gilligan, USA TODAY Sports
Houston Astros — It's not like anyone doubted whether
Houston Astros — It's not like anyone doubted whether Gerrit Cole could revive his young career with the defending champions. But it's just the way he has done it. Cole has racked up 11 or more strikeouts in four of his six starts, and has a major-league best 61 strikeouts in 41⅔ innings, while compiling a 1.73 ERA, second-best in the AL.  Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Royals —Jakob Junis began the year with
Kansas City Royals —Jakob Junis began the year with 16 consecutive scoreless innings and has a 3.34 ERA in 32⅓ innings pitched. The long ball, though, has been a problem worth watching.  Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Angels — Mike Scioscia's closing options
Los Angeles Angels — Mike Scioscia's closing options to start the year were limited to some combination of Blake Parker, Cam Bedrosian or Jim Johnson. That changed when Keynan Middleton stepped up after the second week of the season. He has converted on six of seven save chances with an ERA of 2.40 and 15 strikeouts in 15 innings.  Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers — Hyun-Jin Ryu has seemingly found
Los Angeles Dodgers — Hyun-Jin Ryu has seemingly found his strikeout pitch again, punching out at least seven batters in each of his last four starts. In addition to 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings, Ryu leads the Dodgers' starting staff in wins (3), ERA (2.22) and WHIP (0.85).  Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports
Miami Marlins — Jarlin Garcia has been a major bright
Miami Marlins — Jarlin Garcia has been a major bright spot for the scuffling Marlins, as he leads all of baseball in opposing batting average and has yielded only three earned runs in his five starts.  Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports
Milwaukee Brewers — Despite hitting 30 home runs with
Milwaukee Brewers — Despite hitting 30 home runs with a .505 slugging percentage in 2017, Domingo Santana was expected to take a lesser role after the acquisitions of Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich. Yet Santana has been given plenty of chances and has responded with only two extra-base hits (both doubles) and a .582 on-base-plus-slugging (OPS).  Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Twins — Maybe the fact that Logan Morrison
Minnesota Twins — Maybe the fact that Logan Morrison signed with the Twins late in the spring is the reason, but the free-swinging lefty has yet to get off the ground. He's only hit two homers in 79 plate appearances, with a .151 batting average, .260 slugging and .513 OPS.  Brad Rempel, USA TODAY Sports
New York Mets — Most things have turned up roses for
New York Mets — Most things have turned up roses for the Mets, and Asdrubal Cabrera is the biggest blossom. The veteran infielder has 34 hits, tied for the most in the NL, and his .340 batting average is second in the league. His .973 OPS is more than 150 points higher than his career best.  Noah K. Murray, USA TODAY Sports
New York Yankees — No surprise here, just follow the
New York Yankees — No surprise here, just follow the boos. Giancarlo Stanton has hit some mammoth shots, as usual, but he's struck out third-most in the majors and his current .239 batting average, .440 slugging percentage and .763 OPS all would be a career lows.  Adam Hunger, USA TODAY Sports
Oakland Athletics — Sean Manaea has taken his game
Oakland Athletics — Sean Manaea has taken his game to the next level, and not just because he's thrown the major leagues' only no-hitter this season. The left-hander has allowed two earned runs or less in all six of his starts and leads the AL in ERA at 1.03. He also leads the majors in WHIP at 0.62.  Kiel Maddox, USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia Phillies — The Phillies are off to a solid
Philadelphia Phillies — The Phillies are off to a solid start, but Carlos Santana has struggled to adjust to his new surroundings. Santana, known for his ability to get on base, has compiled a .307 OPS, 60 points below his career average heading into the year. He's also hitting just .165 and slugging .297.  Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Pirates — Trevor Williams was the last man
Pittsburgh Pirates — Trevor Williams was the last man into the Pirates rotation, and he's proving the staff made the right call. Williams hasn't dazzled with a high strikeout rate, but he has kept the opponent off the scoreboard (2.29 ERA) and it's helped him win four of his six starts.  Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports
San Diego Padres — Christian Villanueva drew notice
San Diego Padres — Christian Villanueva drew notice quickly with a three-homer game against the Rockies in the first week of the season. He's continued to show the pop, posting the league's third-best slugging percentage (.726) and third-best OPS (1.150).  Rick Scuteri, USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco Giants — Johnny Cueto rebounded from
San Francisco Giants — Johnny Cueto rebounded from a rough second season as a Giant, allowing three earned runs in 32 innings pitched (0.84 ERA). He's also won three of his five starts and compiled an NL-league best 0.69 WHIP.  Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports
Seattle Mariners — There are only two players with
Seattle Mariners — There are only two players with nine or more home runs and 27 or more RBI. Mitch Haniger is one of them. He's also hitting .309 with .701 slugging and 1.085 OPS, the latter two stats that have him among the five best hitters in baseball.  Jennifer Buchanan, USA TODAY Sports
St. Louis Cardinals — In 2017, Matt Carpenter maintained
St. Louis Cardinals — In 2017, Matt Carpenter maintained his 20-homer power despite all of his other hitting numbers dropping. But so far this season, even the power is gone (two home runs). Carpenter's slash line of .155/.305/.274 is substantially worse than his career norm.  Jeff Curry, USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay Rays — At 28, Joey Wendle is getting his
Tampa Bay Rays — At 28, Joey Wendle is getting his first extended time as a full-time starter in the big leagues, and he hasn't disappointed. Wendle has quickly established himself as one of the Rays' top offensive weapons, hitting .348 with a .932 OPS.  Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports
Texas Rangers — Expectations were limited when the
Texas Rangers — Expectations were limited when the Rangers signed 44-year-old Bartolo Colon to a minor-league deal. But the ageless wonder has the team's best ERA (2.87) among pitchers with at least four starts and he just became the fourth pitcher ever to win a game with 11 ballclubs. Never bet against Bart.  Nick Turchiaro, USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Blue Jays —Curtis Granderson's power has persisted
Toronto Blue Jays —Curtis Granderson's power has persisted throughout his career, but this year, at 37 years old, he's doing a little bit of everything for his new club. He's hitting over .300, something he hasn't done for a full season since 2008, he's drawing walks and he's striking out less.  John E. Sokolowski, USA TODAY Sports
Washington Nationals — Most of Ryan Madson's 6.23 ERA
Washington Nationals — Most of Ryan Madson's 6.23 ERA came in one meltdown performance against the Mets, but the Nationals' setup man is having a tough time keeping runners off base. His 1.85 WHIP is a full point higher than last season, while he averages 13.2 hits and 3.5 walks per nine innings.  Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports

Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:

    Replay
    Autoplay
    Show Thumbnails
    Show Captions

     

    LINKEDIN 1 COMMENTMORE