Corey Seager Is Now!

Bet you thought that sweeping the Giants — which is a real thing that just happened! — and essentially putting the NL West to bed would be the biggest news of the day, right? Nah. (It should be. But nah.)

Two days ago, Dustin made all sorts of intelligent points about whether or not the Dodgers should call up Corey Seager this September. At the time, I really wasn’t sure what the team would do, whether calling Seager up for a few scattered plate appearances was worth the possibility of losing a full year of control down the road. (Assuming they would have gone the Kris Bryant path of keeping Seager in the minors for the first 10 days or so of 2016.)

Seems that decision has been made:

Former Trojan star Corey Seager was called up to the Show. He will meet the Dodgers in San Diego. Congrats Corey! #TrojanPride

— NCHS Baseball (@TrojanPride1) September 3, 2015

That’s the official Twitter account of Northwest Cabarrus High School in North Carolina, where Corey attended with his brothers, Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager and Mariners prospect Justin Seager. Jon Heyman has since confirmed the report. Initially, you had to wonder if there’s news about Justin Turner‘s hand, given that he was hit by a pitch there last night, though he did stay in the game. (X-rays were negative.) Or maybe this was always the plan as soon as the Triple-A Oklahoma Dodgers clinched their division, which they did last night. Either way, it’s extremely exciting.

#Dodgers did not plan to promote Seager unless they could play him. Turner said pinkie OK, but perhaps condition or team’s thinking changed. — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 3, 2015

So, what will Seager’s role be? It’s very TBD, but here’s a reason why he’s here: Jose Peraza‘s hamstring:

Reasons for #Dodgers’ promotion of Seager, per source: Peraza sore hamstring, out at least 3 to 5 games. W/Kiké out, no backup SS on roster.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 3, 2015

#banhamstringsnow.

As we’ve been saying, Seager’s been good in Triple-A, but not stellar. His .278/.332/.451 (105 wRC+) overall line is fine. Over the last month, his similar line of .281/.328/.465 is again pretty good, not world-beating. We know he’s capable at shortstop defensively, though unlikely to be plus, and his experience at third base is relatively limited (19 pro starts, compared to 356 at short).

What that means is that Seager’s not likely being called up to play every day, unless Turner’s hand suddenly fell off overnight. He’s here to give Jimmy Rollins a regular break at short, now that Enrique Hernandez and Peraza are unavailable to do so. He’s here to keep Turner fresh for the playoffs, now that the division has basically been won and Alex Guerrero can’t even point to his bat to justify his existence. He’s here to get some experience in the majors to prepare him for a likely regular job in 2016, just like Joc Pederson did last year. He’s here so that Ronald Torreyes or Andy Wilkins can receive some bad news, since a 40-man spot will need to be cleared.

The Dodgers actually really did need depth on the left side of the infield, and Seager is that. Sure, it’s possible he could burst onto the scene and play his way onto the postseason roster, it’s just very unlikely.

But really, that’s all “reality” and “facts.” If you want to be excited about the most anticipated Dodger prospect in years making it up, go right ahead. I know I am. Don’t forget how late the season goes this year, anyway; the NLDS doesn’t kick off until Oct. 9. Doesn’t seem like there’s going to be much of a playoff race for the next month. Now there’s this. This is fun.

IT’S HAPPENING DOT GIF pic.twitter.com/zCqMczw8Hq — Sons of Steve Garvey (@sosgsosg) September 3, 2015

Yes. Yes it is.