Corey Seager DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (calf) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting in the two-hole on Opening Day on Thursday versus the visiting Boston Red Sox and left-hander Garrett Crochet at Globe Life Field. Seager was held out of the team's final two exhibition games on Monday and Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals due to a sore calf, so the Rangers will ease him in on Opening Day as the DH. Josh Smith is starting at the 6 and batting ninth. Considering the fact that Seager may not be 100 percent and with him going up against one of the toughest left-handers in the game, DFS gamers will probably want to avoid him on Thursday. As long as the 30-year-old doesn't suffer a setback with his calf on Thursday, he could be back on defense this weekend. Seager has never faced Crochet in his career.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (calf) is out of Tuesday's lineup for an exhibition game against the Kansas City Royals for a second straight day, but general manager Chris Young feels confident that he will be ready to go for Opening Day on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. Manager Bruce Bochy said on Monday that Seager wasn't dealing with a serious calf injury, so it's clear the Rangers are just being cautious with their starting shortstop with Opening Day just several days away. The 30-year-old former first-rounder hit .250 (10-for-40) with three doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI and nine runs scored in 18 Cactus League games and got plenty of at-bats this spring to be ready to roll for the regular season. Injuries remain a concern for the two-time World Series MVP, but Seager has managed to hit 30-plus homers each of the last three years and should still be considered a top-10 fantasy shortstop.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (calf) is out of the team's exhibition contest on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals for the second straight day after he was held out on Monday due to a minor calf injury. Manager Bruce Bochy said on Monday that he's not worried, but this does raise some concern about Seager's status for Opening Day on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. Josh Smith is starting at shortstop and batting seventh against KC on Tuesday. Seager, a 30-year-old former first-rounder, has always had injury concerns, dating back to his days with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has played over 150 games with the Rangers once in his three seasons with the team, but it hasn't kept him from reaching the 30-homer mark in each of the last three years. The five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time World Series MVP is still a top-10 fantasy shortstop.