Dodgers’ Corey Seager faces his brother, but still is not cleared to play shortstop

Corey Seager resisted the temptation. On Sunday afternoon at Peoria Sports Complex, he stood at the plate as his brother Kyle manned third base for Seattle. Never before had the Seager brothers faced off in a game, separated by seven years in age and kept apart by scheduling quirks each spring.

So Corey Seager had multiple opportunities to surprise his brother by laying down a bunt. He decided against it. After all, the Dodgers will meet the Mariners in Seattle in August.

“You’ve got to save your free knocks for the year, when they count,” Seager said after going 0 for 3 in the Dodgers’ 2-0 loss. “Catch ‘em off guard when they count, not now.”

Kyle Seager is an accomplished player. He was an All-Star in 2014 and finished 12th in American League most-valuable-player voting in 2016. But he has already conceded his title as the family’s best player. During Players Weekend last summer, Kyle wore a jersey that read “Corey’s Brother.”

The duo will get a more intense opportunity to square off later in the summer. Corey Seager expected his parents and several other family members to trek from their home in North Carolina to catch the series at Safeco Field.

By August, Seager might be able to join his brother as a full-time fielder. Seager played designated hitter for the Dodgers on Sunday, a day after being scratched from a game because of a stomach ailment. That will be his only position for the immediate future.

As Seager builds strength in his right elbow, the Dodgers have not determined when he will be cleared to play shortstop, manager Dave Roberts said. Roberts indicated Seager would need about 10 games in the field to be ready for the season.

“The guys have him on a throwing program, a progression,” Roberts said. “Probably not very aggressive. But it’s what we believe is best for Corey. When he’s in a major league game playing shortstop, I don’t know the date. But I know that we’ve left enough time on the calendar for him to get the reps he needs out there.”

Seager dealt with significant elbow pain throughout the second half of 2017. The Dodgers gave him 10 days off in late August and early September to deal with the inflammation and discomfort. Seager felt pain whenever he threw the ball.

The Dodgers medical staff determined Seager would not require offseason surgery. But the team has been cautious with Seager this spring.

Seager has been able to play catch at a distance of 140 feet. He expected to complete a few more days of that routine before graduating to throwing on the bases. The stress of throwing in a game in more significant than when throwing from a fixed distance.

“It just takes a little longer to get loose,” Seager said. “But really other than that, it feels good once I start getting out there.”

Seager said he hoped to maintain throwing without discomfort throughout the season.

“I don’t know if there will be management to it,” Seager said. “I’m hoping there won’t. It will just be probably a lot of stuff in the training room, strengthening stuff, more than managing pain.”

J.T. Chargois makes it to Camelback Ranch

Claimed off waivers over the weekend, reliever J.T. Chargois arrived at Camelback Ranch.

Chargois appeared in 25 games for Minnesota in 2016. He pitched sparingly last season, and has twice undergone elbow ligament-replacement surgery.

Roberts indicated Chargois has been cleared to pitch for 2018.

“He threw four bullpens before he got to camp,” Roberts said. “He threw two over there. He’s right where he needs to be.”

Roberts also settled on a nickname for his new pitcher: “Shaggy.”

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

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