LOS ANGELES _ Corey Seager's "barking" back came back to bite the Dodgers' All-Star shortstop, who was absent from the National League Championship Series roster the team turned in Saturday morning before Game 1.
Seager, who suffered a back injury Monday while sliding during Game 3 of the NL Division Series, summed up his sorrow in two words.
"This sucks," he said about 90 minutes before he had hoped to take the field against the Cubs Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday he was "very optimistic" Seager could play after the team had him "lay low" for the club workout that day. He said Seager's back had been "barking."
"It's still sore," Roberts said Saturday. "Hasn't hit, hasn't moved around."
Chase Culberson, who started one game during the regular season, replaced Seager at shortstop to start Game 1.
Seager said it became apparent to him Friday he wasn't prepared to play.
The Dodgers, who finished with the best record in baseball, were hurting when Seager was in and out of the lineup with elbow issues during a 1-16 stretch in September.
Seager is eligible to be added to the team's roster during the series if another player is injured. He would not, however, have been eligible to play in the World Series if he had started the NLCS on the team's roster and had been removed because of injury.
Roberts said Seager could be ready to return as soon as Game 3 though Seager said he would not travel with the team to Chicago when the series moves to Wrigley Field on Tuesday.
Roberts added that the Cubs' left-handed-heavy pitching rotation of Jose Quintana and Jon Lester to start the first two games of the series also factored into the decision to sideline Seager.
"With the lefties that they have going against us and having (Culberson) being able to catch the baseball at short and liking him against a left-handed pitcher, it just made sense for us to not have Corey on the roster," Roberts said.
Seager hit .295 with 22 home runs, 77 RBIs and an .854 OPS in 613 plate appearances spanning 145 games this season.
Lester likened Seager's absence to the Cubs losing one of their biggest names _ think Anthony Rizzo or Kris Bryant.
"You don't ever want to see anybody go down, but that definitely helps us," Lester said. "He's a huge presence in their lineup."
Lester said no matter where Seager hits, pitchers have to be prepare for his presence there and to make quality pitches to him.
"That's a tough position for just anybody to fill in," he said.
Seager said he has experienced a lot of tightness and little mobility in his hips but left on the table the possibility of returning later.
For now, all that's on the table is his body, receiving treatment while he hopes his back mends so he can come back.
"It just has been a lot of on the table _ I forget the word for it _ but just flat-spined and all those kind of movements," Seager said. "It was just unrealistic to think that I would be able to go."
