The Rangers introduced Sunday afternoon that they’ve positioned third baseman Josh Jung on the 10-day injured checklist attributable to neck spasms. The transfer is retroactive to March 29, that means Jung will first be eligible for activation on April 7. Infielder Jonathan Ornelas was recalled from the minors in a corresponding transfer.
It’s a irritating flip of occasions for Jung, because the 27-year-old was trying to get off to a powerful begin this yr after having his 2024 season derailed by a fractured wrist on April 1 of final yr. He received’t even make it to April this yr with out being positioned on the shelf. As worrisome an indication as that could be, all indications from staff officers have instructed Jung’s present ailment isn’t notably critical. As Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News noted, supervisor Bruce Bochy informed reporters that he expects Jung to require solely a minimal keep on the injured checklist.
Jung’s newest journey to the injured checklist doesn’t point out the severity of his neck drawback, because the membership was viewing him as day-to-day as just lately as Saturday (as famous by MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry). The choice to position Jung on the shelf, it appears stems not from Jung’s harm however fairly a difficulty utility man Josh Smith is affected by. Smith was taking part in third base throughout Saturday’s recreation however, as noted by McFarland, left the sport with a left quad contusion after colliding with the wall in foul territory. Smith is at the moment thought-about day-to-day however is out of the lineup Sunday as a result of difficulty.
With Jung and Smith down in the interim, the Rangers felt they wanted further cowl on the infield, prompting them to position Jung on the shelf to deliver Ornelas as much as the majors. The 24-year-old has simply 26 video games beneath his belt within the majors over the previous two years and presents little offensive upside, however is a powerful defender throughout the infield with the pace to steal 15 bases in a season. Ornelas can fill a utility position for the membership whereas Ezequiel Duran and (when wholesome sufficient to return to the lineup) Smith cowl for Jung at first base.
Shedding Jung, the membership’s choice with the eighth total choose within the 2019 draft, stings for the lineup. The 27-year-old loved a breakout marketing campaign in 2023, the place he was named an All-Star and completed fourth in AL Rookie of the 12 months voting. Because the begin of that season, Jung has slashed a powerful .267/.311/.454 throughout 170 video games within the majors and was off to a sizzling begin this yr with three hits in his first seven at-bats. Luckily, Smith must be a superbly satisfactory alternative as soon as he’s again within the lineup, as he had a breakout season of his final yr, hitting .258/.337/.394 in 592 journeys to the plate whereas serving in a super-utility position. Smith’s versatility and stable bat earned him the AL Silver Slugger award for utility gamers final yr, and he figures to fill an analogous position in 2025 once more.
