The defending champions have yet another long-term injury absence to contend with.
Texas Rangers All-Star third baseman Josh Jung suffered a fractured right wrist this week on a hit-by-pitch during Monday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Here is the video of the play.
#TexasRangers 3B Josh Jung suffered a fractured right wrist on this HBP
Details and return timeline here⏩https://t.co/SyM9NkafF5 pic.twitter.com/ogINq2gAO5
— Sports Injury Central (@SICscore) April 2, 2024
Jung was initially given a six-week recovery timeline for the injury, but it turns out that the situation is even worse than that. Rangers GM Chris Young told reporters on Wednesday that Jung underwent a successful surgery on the wrist but that the operating surgeon discovered that the damage was a little more extensive. As a result, Jung is now expected to miss eight-to-ten weeks instead of six, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com.
The Rangers have now called up top prospect Justin Foscue from Triple-A to help fill in at third base. But in any case, that is a cruel blow with Jung. The 26-year-old Jung was a stud for Texas as a rookie last season, batting .266 with 23 homers and 70 RBIs over 122 games. He would make the AL All-Star team as the Rangers eventually went on to win it all. Jung was also hitting .412 with an unreal 1.415 OPS over the first four games of 2024.
Jung’s new timeline means that it will likely be at least early-to-mid-June before we see him out there again. He now joins a lengthy list of star absentees for the Rangers to start the season.
