Corey Seager's ranking in CBS fantasy shortstop list proves how far the Rangers star has fallen

There was a point in time when one could make an argument for Corey Seager being the best shortstop in the game. The former Los Angeles Dodgers top prospect came to the Texas Rangers with a history of stellar performance, but also a record of fragility.

Seager was battle-tested and was supposed to lead an up-and-coming Rangers team to the promised land. He did just that, hitting an MVP-worthy .327/.390/.623 with 33 homers in just 119 games in 2023. Most importantly, he fulfilled the promise and helped Texas bring a World Series title to Arlington, taking home his second World Series MVP in the process.

The first three seasons of Seager's Rangers career included the only three 30-home-run seasons that he's ever produced. Even 2025 showed promise, with Seager posting a 138 wRC+ despite being limited to just 102 games thanks to two hamstring strains and a surprise appendectomy.

Seager once again only managed 102 contests in 2026, but this time saw his wRC+ crater to 106 as he spent various stints on the IL with back troubles and threw in a concussion for good measure.

That led to Seager falling precipitously in CBS Sports fantasy shortstop rankings. While fantasy baseball isn't the same as real baseball, and these rankings include players who primarily play other positions but qualify as shortstops for fantasy purposes, Seager ranking 14th was telling. This is about production, at the end of the day, and placing 14th on a list of 20 players is not exactly inspiring.

"Seager's 2026 was an enormous step backward for a player on the fringes of Hall of Fame consideration, and while decline is certain to be the most common explanation, seeing as he'll be 33 in April, I don't want to overstate the case. He was battling back issues much of the year and looked more like himself after serving a second IL stint for them, batting .269 (53 for 197) with 10 homers and an .804 OPS in 51 games," Scott White wrote in the breakdown.

His analysis is spot on. There's reason to believe that Seager can bounce back, but there's equal cause for concern that this will be who Seager is moving forward. There's also door No. 3, which could be the most likely outcome for what we can truly expect from the 33-year-old shortstop in the future.

Rangers likely find that soaring highs and crushing lows are what Corey Seager gives them moving forward

White cites the merely good .804 OPS that Seager put up over the 51 games he played following his second back-related IL stint. That's true, but it only tells half the story.

From his activation on July 31 through September 19, Seager hit .297/364/.497, good for an .861 OPS. That's basically equivalent to his career mark of .860, as well as his postseason OPS of .858. It looked like he was back.

The problem, and the reason for the .804 mark over the final 51 games, is the fact that Seager completely went off the rails during the final week of the season, slashing .133/.133/.333 over his final 30 plate appearances.

It was a frustrating end that understandably made many Rangers fans throw up their hands, ready to write Seager off entirely. Then, early this month, Seager underwent right elbow surgery to remove a bone spur. Suddenly, the crash made sense.

That gives us a strong hint as to who Seager will be going forward. There's a very good chance that his back issues will be a recurring issue. He'll have moments when he'll be at full strength, and others when he'll look like a shell of his former self. And there will be IL stints. And it won't just be for the back, but for the other random aches and pains that always seem to find a way to plague to superstar.

The positive is that the talent is still there, and Seager will give us stretches of elite play. Then there will be stretches when he's awful. His games played totals will continue to plummet. All of this makes Sebastian Walcott all the more important. The more he can play shortstop and the more Seager can DH, the better the Rangers will be able to mitigate his health issues.

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