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ARLINGTON, Texas — World Series MVP Corey Seager and All-Star third baseman Josh Jung are expected to be in the lineup for the Texas Rangers on opening day Thursday, even after both played in only one Cactus League game before the team broke camp from Arizona.

Seager, who had surgery for a left sports hernia repair on Jan. 30, and Jung (left calf) were in the lineup again for an exhibition game in their home ballpark against Boston on Monday night. It came two days after both got hits playing in the Rangers’ Cactus League finale.

Manager Bruce Bochy said he planned for Seager and Jung to also play in the final exhibition game Tuesday afternoon against the Red Sox. The Rangers open the regular season Thursday night at home against the Chicago Cubs, and the manager anticipates the left side of his infield being intact.

“That’s the plan,” Bochy said. “All goes well, the day off (Wednesday) comes at a good time. Both can catch their breath and be set to go opening day.”

Seager was dealing with the hernia issue during the team’s postseason run to its first world championship last fall, though it didn’t affect his performance. The team had hoped that the issue would subside with extended rest in the offseason, but he had surgery when that didn’t happen.

Seager hit .318 with six homers, 12 RBIs and 15 walks in 17 postseason games last year. The shortstop homered three times in the World Series against Arizona, including a tying drive in the ninth inning of the opener.

Jung experienced calf discomfort while fielding ground balls on Feb. 15, a couple of days before the team’s first full-squad workout in Arizona. He got a lot of live at-bats in minor league games in spring training.

“Ready to go,” Jung said Monday. “Hopefully I got my one little sidetrack out of the way and we’re ready to rock. … I feel like I got what I needed to get out of spring training.”

The 26-year-old third baseman, picked eighth overall by the Rangers in the 2019 amateur draft, had a stress fracture in his left foot during spring training in 2021, and the following spring had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder.

Jung was having a breakout rookie season last year when he fractured his left thumb on a fielding play against Miami on Aug. 6. He hit .274 with 22 homers and 67 RBIs and was voted by fans as an AL All-Star starter before the injury. He returned to play 13 games at the end of the regular season, then hit .308 with three homers in the playoffs.

Bochy said newly acquired starter Michael Lorenzen would throw another bullpen session Tuesday, and is still a candidate to be on the opening-day roster.

Lorenzen joined the Rangers on Friday after finalizing a $4.5 million, one-year contract. The 32-year-old right-hander, who last season was a first-time All-Star and threw a no-hitter, had been working out on his own and throwing to independent league hitters while waiting to sign a free agent deal.

“We’re building him up. He’s been throwing a lot,” Bochy said. “You look at him, he’s in incredible shape. That’s who he is. He’s one of the better athletes we have. I think his arm and everything, he’s really close.”

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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