OAKLAND -- Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers are not planning to move Corey Seager to a different infield position, even though the 24-year-old shortstop has undergone surgeries for major tears in his right elbow and left hip over the past three months.
"I know we see him as a shortstop," said Roberts. "From what I understand, both of those surgeries, we expect him to be the player that he was. Obviously, with the elbow and hip issues, probably a better player from the health side of it. If he can handle shortstop, which he played at a high level with those injuries, we expect him to at least sustain that."
Seager underwent an arthroscopic procedure on Tuesday in New York to repair torn labrum in his left hip, performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly, whose previous patients include Alex Rodriguez. Seager and Rodriguez have the same agent, Scott Boras.
Seager missed time with hip discomfort a week before the need for Tommy John surgery was announced in late April. Apparently, however, the hip had been nagging Seager much longer than that.
"It's been bothering him for quite some time, but he felt didn't need the attention and was playable," said Roberts. "Since he had the elbow surgery, once he got past the elbow in the rehab, to do this surgery just made sense. Come camp, he should be a full participant."
Tommy John surgery conservatively requires 12 months to fully heal, making a May return a safe estimate. The hip repair can take anywhere from two to six months, the longer recovery needed if a microfracture procedure is necessary.
Roberts dismissed the suggestion that Seager is either too brittle or too large for the physically demanding position of shortstop.
"The youth is going to allow for him to recover," Roberts said. "He's a big-bodied guy, and there is something to a young player having this. ... Because he's youthful, he should heal better."