Even after a five-day layoff, there was somebody noticeably missing when the Dodgers held their final pre-National League Championship Series workout on Friday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Twenty-three-year-old Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager – the National Leagues’s reigning Rookie of the Year – was nowhere to be found.

“We’re going to keep him off the field today,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters just prior to Friday’s workout. “It’s his back, been barking since that game-3 in Arizona, so we’re going to have him lay low. A lot of what we’ve done, even this season, just keep him off the field, helps the elbow, and now with the back, so to keep him laying low. But we’re optimistic he’ll be fine day to day.”

According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Seager injured his back while sliding during Game-3 of the Division Series, although it very well could have happened during one of his signature monster swings.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Optimistic is fine and all, but is there a real possibility that Seager might actually be in Robert’s starting lineup when the Dodgers take the field on Saturday afternoon at 5:08 pm PT for game-1 of the best-of-seven NLCS against the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs?

“There’s always a possibility. But with the back injury, that kind of locked him up a little bit,” Roberts said. “But right now he’s getting treatment, has gotten treatment the last couple days, and every day keeps getting considerably better.

“It’s just one of those things that we’ve just got to be mindful of,” Roberts added. “Want to keep him off the field. I think it will help the back, the elbow, the whole workload thing, which we’ve done all year. But we’re very optimistic he’ll be in there on Saturday.”

In his stead, utility infielders Chris Taylor, Enrique Hernandez and Charlie Culberson took grounders at short during Friday’s workout, an indication that Roberts’ ‘possibility’ thing may be a bit of a reach for Seager to start – or even appear in – game-1 of the series opener.

During the three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks in the Division Series, Taylor went 3-for-13 (.231) with a double, two walks, two runs scored and an RBI, and Hernandez 1-for-3 (.333) with a double, one walk and one run scored. Culberson was not on the Dodgers 25-man roster for the NLDS, and if Roberts is to believed on that Seager ‘possibility’ thing, he may not be on the NLCS roster either.

Seager, on the other hand, went 3-for-11 (.273) with a triple, four walks, three runs scored and two RBI. In other words, his missing bat in the NLCS will be huge – not to mention his Gold Glove-caliber defense at short.

Stay tuned.