How Long Will Texas Rangers' Josh Jung Be Out With Injury?
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung will have surgery on his fractured left thumb and will miss at least six weeks.
Jung fractured his thumb as he tried to field a screaming line drive in the fifth inning against Miami on Sunday
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said he would see a specialist, and on The Dallas Morning News reported that Jung would need surgery.
The surgery is intended to stabilize the fracture. He was placed on the 10-day injured list before Monday's series opener in Oakland and the Rangers called up infielder Jonathan Ornelas to take his spot on the 26-man roster.
The six-week timeline means Jung would return about Sept. 18, with two weeks of the season remaining. The exact date of his return could be earlier or later.
For now, the Rangers will have to make do without their All-Star third baseman and American League Rookie of the Year candidate.
He is slashing .274/.323/.489/.812 with 22 home runs and 67 RBI. He’s also emerged as an above-average defensive third baseman.
Ezequiel Duran will start at third base in Oakland on Monday, with the return of Corey Seager to shortstop after a day off on Sunday. Mitch Garver will catch and hit fifth, which is Jung’s normal spot in the order.
Jung had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot and missed much of the first two months of his 2021 minor league season.
He had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder in 2022 but returned to make his Rangers debut as a September call-up.
It’s the latest injury the Rangers have to deal with. Starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is still at least a couple of weeks away from returning from an elbow strain. Catcher Jonah Heim is on the injured list with a left wrist injury, and Seager is playing through a sprained right thumb he suffered last month.
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