ARLINGTON, Texas -- Corey Seager was activated from the injured list Friday after the slumping five-time All-Star shortstop missed 19 games for the Texas Rangers because of lower back inflammation.
Seager went into the Rangers' series opener against Cleveland mired in a career-worst 0-for-27 slump that included 11 strikeouts. The two-time World Series MVP was hitless in his previous seven games, also a career long, since an RBI single on May 6 at Yankee Stadium after he hit a home run earlier in that game.
Texas also activated outfielder Wyatt Langford, who had missed 39 games since going on the injured list April 22 because of a right forearm strain.
Utility man Cody Freeman and outfielder Alejandro Osuna were optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to make room on the roster.
Langford and Seager played in two rehab games together this week at Double-A Frisco. That was after Langford played two games with Round Rock.
Seager hadn't been in a big league game since May 13, when he had started 42 of the Rangers' first 43 games. The 32-year-old shortstop said then, after playing in all 24 games over a 27-day period, that physically he felt "completely fine."
The Rangers had an off day after that and planned for Seager to get an extra break by sitting out the series opener at Houston. But he didn't play at all in that series after waking up one morning with back spasms.
When Seager went on the IL, he was hitting .179 with seven homers and 20 RBI. His 50 strikeouts accounted for 27.5% of his 182 plate appearances. He was 6 for 61 (.098) with 23 K's over his last 16 games.
In his first rehab game Tuesday night, Seager went 1 for 2 with a single and fielded two groundballs while playing shortstop. He went 0 for 3 on Wednesday.
Langford hit .238 with one homer and four RBI in his 20 games for Texas before going on the injured list. He was 2 for 10 with five walks in four rehab games.
