The 2026 Silver Boot Series will kick off on Friday night as the Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros at Daikin Park.

When the series gets underway at 7:10 p.m. CST, it will do so without a very familiar face in the Rangers' lineup.

Shortstop Corey Seager is getting a much-needed day off amidst struggles to the likes of which he has never faced in his career.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told reporters on Wednesday the team had a day circled for Seager to get a day off, but did not disclose which day it was.

Now, we know that the day is Friday and, with the Rangers' off day on Thursday, Seager will get two straight days off.

The rest couldn’t come at a better time for Seager, who is in the midst of a career-worst 0-for-27 stretch at the plate. Entering play in Houston, Seager is hitting just .179 with a .286 OBP, a .353 SLG, seven home runs, and 20 RBIs.

"You're obviously still working on things, and you'd like to see some better results, but you're not getting them," Seager said after Wednesday’s Rangers win.

"It's one of those things that you're going to figure it out out there," Seager said. "It's always been like my focus, right, you're going to figure it out swinging. So right now, I want to keep going out there and trying to figure it out."

Still, despite the struggles, Seager still has the full confidence of his first-year manager, who spoke about the struggles of his shortstop earlier this week.

"Corey still feels good to go, and I like him in the lineup. So I'm going to continue putting him there if his body feels good and his mind is right. And it is, so that part is good,” Schumaker said.

As for Friday night’s game, the Rangers will turn to Ezequiel Duran at shortstop, who Schumaker called an “everyday player.”

Justin Foscue will play second base in the place of Duran, who has been starting there very regularly.

Jack Leiter will take the mound as the Rangers look to get off to a hot start in the Silver Boot Series and take home the trophy for the first time since 2016.

As for Seager, he will likely be back in the lineup on Saturday, and the Rangers will certainly hope he can turn the corner and return to the MVP form they know he can play at this season.

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