When Corey Seager underwent Tommy John surgery last year, the Los Angeles Dodgers projected he would make a full recovery by Opening Day of the 2019 season. The timetable remained unchanged even after Seager later underwent arthroscopic hip surgery.
The former National League Rookie of the Year winner proceeded to navigate his way through an arduous rehab process and was eased back into game action during Spring Training. Seager flied out to the wall in his first Cactus League at-bat, then hit a home run his next time up.
While an encouraging sign for Seager and the Dodgers, it invariably created unrealistic expectations.