The Rangers introduced Sunday afternoon that they’ve positioned third baseman Josh Jung on the 10-day injured listing as a consequence of 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 12 months after having his 2024 season derailed by a fractured wrist on April 1 of final 12 months. He received’t even make it to April this 12 months with out being positioned on the shelf. As worrisome an indication as which may be, all indications from workforce officers have urged Jung’s present ailment is just not significantly severe. As Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News noted, supervisor Bruce Bochy advised reporters that he expects Jung to require solely a minimal keep on the injured listing.
Jung’s newest journey to the injured listing doesn’t point out the severity of his neck downside, 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 put Jung on the shelf, it appears stems not from Jung’s harm however slightly a difficulty utility man Josh Smith is affected by. Smith was taking part in third base throughout Saturday’s sport 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 of day-to-day however is out of the lineup Sunday as a result of concern.
With Jung and Smith down in the intervening time, the Rangers felt they wanted extra cowl on the infield, prompting them to put Jung on the shelf to carry Ornelas as much as the majors. The 24-year-old has simply 26 video games below his belt within the majors over the previous two years and affords little offensive upside, however is a powerful defender throughout the infield with the velocity to steal 15 bases in a season. Ornelas can fill a utility function for the membership whereas Ezequiel Duran and (when wholesome sufficient to return to the lineup) Smith cowl for Jung at first base.
Dropping Jung, the membership’s choice with the eighth total decide 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 Yr voting. For the reason that 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 12 months with three hits in his first seven at-bats. Thankfully, Smith must be a wonderfully sufficient substitute as soon as he’s again within the lineup, as he had a breakout season of his final 12 months, hitting .258/.337/.394 in 592 journeys to the plate whereas serving in a super-utility function. Smith’s versatility and stable bat earned him the AL Silver Slugger award for utility gamers final 12 months, and he figures to fill an identical function in 2025 once more.
