Corey Seager leaves game with lower back discomfort

Corey Seager left Friday night’s game against the Giants in the third inning with a lower back discomfort, the Dodgers announced.

Austin Slater led off the third inning with a ground out up the middle that Chris Taylor fielded in front of the bag. Seager was running into position behind the play when he appeared to pull up. Seager then walked off the field with trainer Yosuke Nakajima.

Manager Dave Roberts said on the SportsNet LA broadcast that Seager hurt himself earlier in the game, which appeared to be in the second inning on a single to left field by Chadwick Tromp.

“I just didn’t see him moving well in between that inning, so wanted to get him out of the game,” Roberts said.

After the game, Roberts said Seager was undergoing tests on his back, and likely wouldn’t play Saturday. Seager is day-to-day.

Seager was dealing with leg problems earlier in the week, fouling a ball off his calf in Arizona, then was limited to designated hitter duty Monday and Tuesday in San Diego with quad tightness.

Even with those nagging injuries, Seager started each of the first 14 games for the Dodgers, and has been their best hitter. He’s hitting .340/.389/.600 with four doubles and three home runs, and leads the majors with 28 hard-hit balls in his 54 plate appearances, looking every bit like the dynamic hitter he was in 2016-17, before Tommy John surgery took most of his 2018 season.

“I feel really confident my body. I feel really good,” Seager said before Friday’s game. “Just getting out there again, and being able to do what I want to do.”

Kiké Hernandez replaced Seager in the lineup, but entered the game at second base, with Taylor moving to shortstop.