Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has stressed patience with an offense he knows is struggling.
Eventually, the long-time manager says, the bats will start to fire as everyone expected they would.
Texas (9-4) was starting to show signs of it during their latest homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays. But key members of the offense were still missing in action to some degree.
One of those slumbering bats came to life on Wednesday in Chicago as Corey Seager showed off the lumber to the tune of two home runs in a 6-2 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Seager wasted no time, slugging a home run to center field in the first inning, a solo shot that staked the Rangers to a 1-0 lead.
Oppo Seager Smash 💥 pic.twitter.com/Asoc3fsGMa
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) April 9, 2025
Seager gave the Rangers more cushion in the seventh inning with another solo home run, this one pulled into the right-field seats as he scored the Rangers’ final run of the game.
Seags will have seconds! #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/d7bcf9N9BL
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) April 9, 2025
He wasn’t the only one that homered on Wednesday. Designated hitter Jonah Heim did, too. But, the Rangers need Seager’s power in that second spot in the order to deliver consistently.
Seager looks like he’s starting to turn the corner.
In the Rangers’ four games in March — all against the Boston Red Sox — he slashed .214/.267/.214. He didn’t have a home run or an RBI. In fact, Seager had just three hits in 14 at-bats.
The slash doesn’t look much better in April, until you look at the slugging percentage — .222/.276/.556. That .556 slugging percentage shot up because he’s hit three home runs in the last four games, including a solo shot against Tampa Bay on Sunday.
He has just six hits in seven games, but three are home runs. He hasn’t managed any RBI with runners on base, but that is just a matter of time with this offense.
Seager’s slow start could be attributed to a stiff calf muscle that he had coming out of spring training. For that reason, he’s done more games at designated hitter to start the season than usual.
Bochy’s priority is making sure that Seager avoids injury. He had sports hernia surgery twice last year. He missed more than a month with two injuries in 2023, including a hamstring pull.
His value to the offense is obvious. He’s a five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and two-time World Series champion and MVP. He’s slammed 30 or more home runs in three straight seasons.
He’s worth the white glove treatment. His bat is already starting to benefit.
