Rangers third baseman Josh Jung suffered a fracture in his left thumb during today’s game with the Marlins, manager Bruce Bochy told MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry and other reporters. The injury occurred in the sixth inning when Jorge Soler hit a 109.4mph liner off of Jung’s glove hand at third base, and while Jung recovered to start an unlikely double play, he left the game after the next batter.
The fracture was apparent on initial x-rays, and a clearer timeline will be known in a day or so. If surgery is required, the usual six-to-eight week timeframe for thumb procedures threatens to possibly end Jung’s 2023 season entirely, though much depends on the nature and severity of the fracture. Since the Rangers are on pace to reach the postseason and receive a first-round bye if they win the division, Jung could rejoin the team before the start of its first playoff series.
Of course, winning the AL West and holding off the Astros and Mariners will be more difficult for the Rangers without their star rookie in the lineup. Considered one of baseball’s top prospects during his time in the Texas farm system, Jung made his big league debut with 26 games in 2022, and then headed into this season as the everyday third baseman. Jung has more than delivered on that regular role, hitting .274/.323/.489 with 22 homers over 461 plate appearances and becoming one of the favorites in the AL Rookie of the Year race.
Not that there’s a good time to ever lose a key player, but Jung’s injury occurring after the trade deadline makes it more difficult for the Rangers to find any sort of depth or replacement. It was a little over a week ago that the Rangers also lost catcher Jonah Heim to a wrist sprain, and with Heim’s return in question this year, Texas quickly pivoted to acquire Austin Hedges and Kevin Plawecki in separate trades with the Pirates and Padres. While there are still several ways to obtain players after the deadline, it’s easy to imagine the aggressive Rangers getting into the hunt for a bigger-name third baseman like Jeimer Candelario if Jung had gotten hurt even a week earlier.
Between Jung, Heim, Brad Miller out with a hamstring strain, and Corey Seager still battling a nagging thumb problem, the powerful Rangers lineup has started to spring some holes. Jung has played almost every inning at third base this season, but Josh H. Smith or Ezequiel Duran figure to platoon at the position while Jung is sidelined. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News figures that outfielder Bubba Thompson is the likeliest call-up from Triple-A, unless Seager’s status makes the Rangers call up another infielder (perhaps Jonathan Ornelas, also on the 40-man roster) to provide more depth on the dirt.
Like pretty much everyone on the Rangers, Smith and Duran are having good offensive seasons in their own rights, with Duran in particular delivering a .281/.326/.482 slash line over 325 PA. However, Duran has been in a slump since the start of July, and has started to lose playing time at his regular left field or DH spots. Perhaps getting more regular infield work would help spark Duran, since a return to that earlier-season form would go a long way towards helping the Rangers thrive without Jung. Duran and Smith make for a natural righty/lefty platoon, and Smith has an above-average (101 wRC+) offensive profile this year, hitting .214/.344/.349 over 153 PA.
This marks the third straight season that Jung has suffered a notable injury, as he surely would’ve been in the majors much earlier than September 2022 if he’d had some better health luck. Jung underwent surgery for a foot fracture in 2021, and then missed over half of the 2022 season recovering from shoulder surgery.
Welp… that sucks. Not sure what else to say there. Duran gets to play a whole lot now lol.
Yeah it’ll be a new moon on Monday at third
What a thumb way to lose a player. MLB needs to stop pointing fingers and wrist control. These injuries are getting out of hand.
It is a thumb way to lose a player, but don’t worry he’ll finger it out later. Simply a bad beak
The Rangers sure could use a lift. Maybe they should hitch hike. Oh wait
The guy’s a stud.
Big blow to the Rangers.
Good thing they didnt trade Duran.
Keep Duran. Trade Spandau Ballet
Evan Carter incoming
Guessing Justin Foscue
There goes the draft pick bonus for RoY.
I am sorry to read this, the Rangers were having a pretty good season and Jung was a big part of it
He’ll now be a big part of it for an extra year. No ROY penalty likely.
Well wouldn’t he have already accrued a year of service time? I thought you only get the year if you had your service time manipulated
Were or are? We’ve been without multiple All Stars at one time for more than a month. This will hurt but depth is a reason the Rangers are good.
This shows the value of a guy like Duran more than anything
Could be worse. Your entire starting rotation could be injured.
It basically is…
Significant loss here. Not only from the offensive perspective, but also his very solid glove at 3B.
If his glove was more solid he would not have this problem…..
his glove is pretty solid boss. notice he broke his thumb then proceeded to pickup the ball and flip a double play
You missed OP’s joke. Was nothing about his fielding, boss. Was a play on the word ‘solid’
Mark Grace is a drunk
Since the broken thumb was in his glove, him picking up the ball with his non-broken thumb hand and flipping the double play has literally nothing to do with his glove being solid.
Dumb comment. The ball was scorched at 109…his glove work has much improved from his days as a minor leaguer.
At this point in the season the game becomes more about pitching.
The moves the Rangers made at the deadline may well carry them.
I’m guessing Ornelas. I don’t see him here for Round Rock vs OKC (I’m at the game) and Bubba is in the staring lineup.
Gunnar = ROY
A French goalie?
There should be a new rule where if the first place team loses an impact player, the team behind them has to send them their impact player at the same position. So the Astros would have to send them Alex Bregman. This is a reward for the first place team working so hard to get Into first.
Sir, your suggestion is scandalous, abhorrent, and immoral.
I extend my middle finger in opposition to this suggestion and unlike Josh Jung, this opposable digit ain’t broke!
Coming from a ranger fan, that’s an unfair suggestion. The astros were without Altuve, Alvarez and a few notable SP and stayed in the race. Our rangers will have to just figure it out.
This is the dumbest thing I have read on the internet all day.
It’s early in the day, Nick.
This one will be tough to top, but I also don’t believe he’s serious. I hope.
@Nick
Well said, Nick.
But it would be fun if we all threw out stupider ideas and had a vote for worst (entitled) ideas. Submissions should all start with: “There should be a new rule…”
I’ll go first…
* There should be a new rule… where the team that spends the most money in payroll should be guaranteed a playoff spot. We could call it the Cohen Rule.
someone get the Rangers a cookie for their efforts.
Tough to see the kid go down on a play like that. I’m no rangers fan but I’m a fan of Jung.
I’m not worried about it one bit. Nothing will stop that team and if they come up short against the Cubs in the World Series, Corey Ragsdale will get the blame.
They aren’t holding off Houston. They are much better than Seattle though.
Should be interesting. Houston has a really tough Schedule this month and Texas does not. It should be a photo finish.
Agree 100% chris. Maybe Zeke can return back to pre all star break form. That would help quite a bit.
I wouldn’t bet on it.
@chris44 exactly my thoughts, Sept will be easier for the Astros so it should come down to the wire. Astro/Ranger is gonna be a scary matchup for anyone in the Postseason.
Yep I am actually hoping both teams make the playoffs and show those AL Easterners a thing or two. The pennant belongs in the West.
It does seem like the Rangers, Astros, and Mariners will be leap- froging one another.
Bytheway where did Texas get all this money to spend on players? I’m going to take a look at there payroll.
Texas has never had a money problem, they have had a talent problem. Between trading everyone worth anything in 2010-2011 trying to win a series and just flat missing on a number of draft picks, the Rangers haven’t had a reason to spend money.
My goodness, Texas has an active payroll of $276,602.052 compared with the Mariners total payroll of $133,852,765 a stark difference The M’s do have a few on minimum salary. Can anybody spare a dime?