Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps: Josh Jung

The Rangers' No. 1 prospect made his MLB debut for the Texas Rangers and he's now looking forward to a full season in 2023.

InsidetheRangers.com will review each of the players on the Texas Rangers 40-man roster at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

3B Josh Jung

Statistics for 2022: Jung played in 26 games and batted .204/.235/.418/.653 (20-for-98) with 41 total bases, four doubles, one triple, five home runs and 14 RBI. He walked four times and struck out 39 times. He stole two bases. He played all but one of his games at third base, where he was charged with two errors in 76 total chances for a fielding percentage of .974.

Season Transactions: Jung started the season on the 60-day injured list for the Triple-A Round Rock Express after surgery for a torn labrum. He was sent to the Arizona Complex League Rangers on July 28 to begin a rehab assignment. On Aug. 9, the Rangers sent him back to Round Rock and activated him from the 60-day injured list. The Rangers called Jung up on Sept. 9.

Season Summary: Jung told reporters after his call-up to the Rangers that he wasn’t even sure he would even be able to play this season after he suffered the torn labrum, which was in his left shoulder. So, just getting at-bats with the ACL Rangers and with Round Rock was a surprise to him. Being called up to start his Rangers career was based on his exceptional hitting at Round Rock. He homered in his first Major League at-bat, just the second Rangers player to do so. He had the typical rookie struggles. He struck out every third at-bat, drew only a handful of walks and had stretches of inconsistent hitting. But, his play in the field was solid, committing just two errors. He helped turn a triple play on Sept. 20. And his bat started coming around a bit at season’s end. He gave the franchise a jolt, at least in attention, when it sorely needed it.

Contract Status: Jung is still a rookie, based on service time, and under team control.

What’s next: He is the Rangers third baseman of the future. That’s how the organization sees him. If all goes well in spring training, he’ll be the Opening Day third baseman, likely hitting in the bottom part of the order. The Rangers need him to do three things — reduce the strikeouts, continue to improve the fielding and stay healthy. Fellow rookie Josh Smith called him “The best young hitter he’s been around.” If that’s the case, Jung can be a fixture in Arlington for years to come.

2022 Texas Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps:

Ezequiel Duran | A.J. Alexy | Josh Smith | Tyson Miller | Corey Seager | Joe Barlow | Leody Taveras | Brad Miller | Drew Strotman |

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