Rangers All-Star third baseman to be out longer than anticipated

Rangers third baseman Josh Jung fractured his wrist after being hit by a pitch in his fourth game of the season, and wrist surgery was required to fix the problem. Initially, given a rough six-week recovery timeline, that projection was lengthened to 8-10 weeks since the surgery was more complicated than expected, thus sending Jung from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

Unfortunately for Jung, he’ll now face an even longer absence, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Jung will likely be out until at least the start of July or perhaps closer to the All-Star break.  It will be 10-14 days before Jung knows whether or not he’ll be given the green light to start swinging a bat and assuming that Jung is cleared, it’ll be another 3-4 weeks of full baseball activities and minor league rehab games before an IL activation is feasible.

The situation still seems quite fluid, and the fact that Jung has already had his timeline pushed back twice isn’t a good sign.  There’s also the uncertainty that comes from any hitter recovering from wrist surgery, as it is common for batters to need some extra re-adjustment time after an injury that so directly impacts their ability to control a bat and swing properly.  A minor league rehab assignment should theoretically help Jung shake off some of this rust, though there’s no substitute for facing Major League pitching.

Jung’s first full MLB season saw him finish fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting, as he hit .266/.315/.467 with 23 home runs over 515 plate appearances.  That impressive regular season was followed up by a .308/.329/.538 slash line and three homers in 70 during the playoffs as the Rangers went on to capture their first World Series championship.  Jung’s emergence as a building block has already paid dividends with one ring, and the Rangers are certainly hoping he can be a lineup fixture for years to come, though this wrist surgery is a very unfortunate setback.

As Grant notes, the Rangers haven’t yet been hurt by Jung’s absence since Josh Smith has stepped up.  Smith has hit .280/.375/.432 in 152 PA this season, earning an increasingly large share of the playing time at third base even if Smith’s left-handed bat adds to the overall lefty tilt of the Texas lineup.