Rangers' Josh Jung: Scratched due to minor car accident
Rotowire
Jung was involved in a minor car accident on his way to Saturday's Cactus League game against the Angels and has been scratched from the lineup, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Jung is not injured, but the Rangers will keep the third baseman out of the lineup as they deal with the logistics of the accident. Assuming everything is ok, the infielder should be back in the lineup in the coming days.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Swats first spring home run
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Jung went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's spring game against the Cubs.
Jung is 5-for-20 in nine Cactus League games, but the main thing is that he's healthy and playing spring ball. He didn't play in 2020 due to the pandemic, then had a foot injury in 2021 and shoulder surgery in 2022. Jung is taking on the challenge of being the Rangers' starting third baseman, an unsettled position for much of 2022 until he was added to the roster in September.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Powers offense in win
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Jung went 3-for-4 with two home runs, two runs and five RBI in a 5-0 win against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Jung was responsible for all five Texas runs Tuesday, connecting on a solo home run in the second inning, an RBI single in the sixth and a three-run homer in the eighth to provide valuable insurance. The 24-year-old has recorded multiple hits in each of his last two contests, batting 5-for-8 with a double and two long balls to up his season line to .227/.250/.515 across 16 games. His slugging is propped up by five of his 15 leaving the yard.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Steals bag in loss
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Jung went 0-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 6-3 loss to Cleveland.
Jung stole a base after a sixth-inning walk and came home on a Josh Smith two-out single. It was his second steal in 14 games, the last one coming in his debut Sept. 9. Jung doesn't have a history of running in the minors, but the Rangers, who lead MLB with 124 swipes, encourage aggressiveness on the bases.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Homers in series finale
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Jung went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and a strikeout during Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers.
Although the Rangers struggled to generate much offensive production Sunday, Jung performed well with his first multi-hit performance since his major-league debut Sept. 9. The 24-year-old has recorded hits in eight of his first 10 games with the Rangers and has hit .250 with three home runs, three doubles, six RBI, four runs and a stolen base.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Plays both ends of doubleheader
Rotowire
Jung went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 10-6 loss to Miami in the second game of Monday's doubleheader.
Jung started at third base in both ends of the two-game slate and doubled in the matinee. Since having his contract selected, Jung is 5-for-20 with four of those hits going for extra bases, including two home runs.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Shines in MLB debut
Rotowire
Jung started at third base and went 2-for-4 with with a solo home run and stole a base in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
Jung's contract was selected from Triple-A Round Rock on Friday, and the prospect made a much-anticipated debut. He fulfilled the hype by homering in his first at-bat, mashing a Ross Stripling changeup over the fence in left field at a rate of 102.6 mph, and became just the 12th player in MLB history to hit a homer and steal a base in his debut, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Jung wasn't much of a stolen-base threat in the minors, swiping seven bags over 153 games, and has a 40-grade run tool.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Contract officially selected
Rotowire
Jung's contract was selected from Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.
Jung's activation was expected for several days, and he'll officially start at third base and bat seventh during his major-league debut Friday against the Blue Jays. The 24-year-old has less competition for playing time at the hot corner after Ezequiel Duran was sent down Thursday, and the Rangers' top prospect should have plenty of chances to secure regular at-bats in the majors over the final month of the season.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Major-league debut imminent
Rotowire
Jung will be called up from Triple-A Round Rock to make his major-league debut Friday against the Blue Jays, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Jung appeared likely to begin the 2022 season as the Rangers' primary third baseman, but he suffered a torn left labrum during spring training and wasn't cleared to rejoin the Triple-A club until early August. He's performed well since returning to action at Round Rock, slashing .274/.317/.526 with six home runs, 24 RBI, 14 runs and a stolen base over 22 games. The 24-year-old saw time at both corner-infield spots during a rehab assignment with the Rangers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate. The team's top prospect should have plenty of chances to earn playing time for the big-league club over the final month of the regular season, while Brad Miller will likely be placed on the 10-day injured list with a hip injury Friday.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Ready for Triple-A debut
Rotowire
Jung (shoulder) will be activated from Triple-A Round Rock's 60-day injured list Tuesday and start at third base in his season debut for the affiliate, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
Entering spring training, Jung looked like the leading candidate to open the season as the Rangers' starting third baseman, but his hopes of breaking camp with the big club came to an end when he ultimately required surgery to repair his torn left labrum, an injury he sustained while lifting weights. At the time of his procedure in late February, Jung was expected to miss 6-to-8 months, but he progressed much faster in his recovery than anticipated. The 24-year-old began a rehab assignment July 28 in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, and after hitting .240 with three home runs while seeing time at both corner-infield spots over eight games, he'll get the green light to debut for Round Rock. If Jung holds up well physically and shows that he can consistently hit for power at Triple-A coming off shoulder surgery, a late-season promotion to the Rangers could still be in play.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Plays first base Saturday
Rotowire
Jung (shoulder) started at first base and went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run for the Rangers' affiliate in the Arizona Complex League on Saturday.
That's two consecutive games with a home run for Jung. After undergoing shoulder surgery in February, he is rehabbing in the ACL and is beginning to play the field. After serving as a DH-only to start his rehab, Jung has made four starts in the field (three at 3B and one at 1B).
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Plays nine innings in field
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Jung (shoulder) started at third base and went 1-for-3 with two walks and a two-run home run for the ACL Rangers on Friday.
Jung has been rehabbing in the ACL but had served as DH only until a few days ago. This was his third start at third base and first in which he's played a full nine-inning game. The Rangers had previously thought Jung playing the field was off the table for the rest of the season, according to Levi Weaver of The Athletic, so this is an encouraging development for the prospect.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Playing third base
Rotowire
Jung (shoulder) will play third base for the next six-to-10 days with the Rangers' Arizona Complex League affiliate before joining a minor-league affiliate, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Jung has been playing in the Arizona Complex League since July 27, though he had been limited to duties as designated hitter. That he'll be able to field his position is a positive sign in his recovery, as he was not originally expected to be able to do so for any portion of the 2022 season. Jung is projected to join Triple-A Round Rock once activated from the injured list.
Jung (shoulder) is scheduled to begin playing in rehab games Thursday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League as a designated hitter, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Jung has been on the shelf since late February after requiring surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, but he's cleared a major hurdle in the recovery process over the past week by resuming live batting practice. Even though Jung's procedure was for his non-throwing shoulder, the 24-year-old still hasn't been cleared for defensive work, so he'll be limited strictly to DH duty for the start of his rehab assignment. Grant relays that the Rangers will re-evaluate Jung in the next 10 days or so before determining if he's ready to see some action in the field. Once he's activated from the minor-league 60-day injured list, Jung is eventually expected to settle back into a regular role at third base for Triple-A Round Rock.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Taking batting practice
Rotowire
Jung (shoulder) is taking batting practice and is on track to serve as the designated hitter in minor-league games during the 2022 season, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Jung has been sidelined all season after undergoing shoulder surgery, but he is currently at the team's spring training facility and is expected to participate in sim games shortly. From there, he'll likely go on a rehab assignment and could be activated from the injured list in time to play in a few games with Triple-A Round Rock prior to the end of the campaign.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: On minor-league IL
Rotowire
Jung (shoulder) was placed on Triple-A Round Rock's 60-day injured list Thursday.
Since Jung isn't on the Rangers' 40-man roster, the team reassigned him to the minors after he suffered a torn labrum in February that later required surgery. As a result, he'll be on the IL of the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate rather than the big club. Jung is expected to require 6-to-8 months to recover from surgery, making it unlikely that he comes off Round Rock's 60-day IL until September.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Gets surgery, out six months
Rotowire
Jung is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 months after he underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn left labrum, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Jung was shut down last week after suffering the injury while lifting weights, but a decision on whether he would require surgery wasn't immediately made. Now that Jung has opted for the procedure, he's expected to be sidelined until September at the earliest, effectively closing the door on the top prospect's chances of making his MLB debut this season. Even once he completes his rehab program, Jung will be limited to designated hitter duties rather than playing at third base. Jung's injury at least tentatively clears the way for Isaiah Kiner-Falefa to open the season in an everyday role for Texas at the hot corner.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: MLB debut not expected this season
Rotowire
Jung is not expected to make his major-league debut this season, Chris Halicke of SI.com reports.
The Rangers' top prospect has held his own since being promoted to Triple-A Round Rock last month, slashing .246/.348/.509 with three homers, six doubles and six RBI across 66 plate appearances. He's on track to be an important piece for the big club early on in 2022, but he won't be promoted this season unless Texas suffers several injuries to its infield in the coming weeks.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Back in action at Double-A
Rotowire
Jung (COVID-19 protocols) was in uniform for Double-A Frisco in Wednesday's 8-0 win over Arkansas but didn't play, Chris Halicke of SI.com reports.
Though Jung has been out of action since Aug. 7, his presence in the dugout Wednesday suggests he's cleared all COVID-19 protocols and will merely need to regain conditioning before rejoining the lineup. Jung, who is hitting .307 with 10 home runs in 42 games for Frisco this season, should be ready to play by the end of the week.
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Rangers' Josh Jung: Mashing in Double-A
Rotowire
Jung has a five-game hit and RBI streak going at Double-A Frisco, a span in which he's gone 9-for-20 (.450) with two homers, two doubles, seven RBI and a 2:2 BB:K.
This hot stretch has lifted his season OPS back over the .900 mark to .906. A foot injury caused Jung to miss the beginning of the minor-league season, but he's pushed past that setback in impressive fashion. His power output looks great, his strikeout rate is trim, and he generally looks ready to move on up in the organization. Look for the Rangers to give him some exposure to Triple-A next month ahead of a probable September call-up. It's about time for fantasy managers to make sure they know that Jung is pronounced like "Young."
