Rangers Spring Training Preview: Josh Jung

Josh Jung should be the Opening Day third baseman and the Rangers hope to see big improvement at the plate.

InsidetheRangers.com previews every player on the Texas Rangers 40-man roster heading into Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona.

3B Josh Jung

In 2022: Jung really wasn’t supposed to play last season. He’ll tell you that himself. Jung started the season on the 60-day injured list for the Triple-A Round Rock Express after surgery for a torn labrum he suffered while lifting weights. What was supposed to wipe out his season ended up landing him with the Arizona Complex League Rangers in July when his rehab ended up well ahead of schedule. Encouraged, the Rangers sent Jung to Triple-A and he started blasting the ball out of the park.

In 31 minor-league games Jung batted .266/.326/.540/.866 with 19 runs, seven doubles, nine home runs and 29 RBI.

By early September the Rangers really had no choice. It was time to start the clock on Jung’s MLB career. Called up on Sept. 9, he homered in his first Major League at-bat, making him the second Rangers player to ever do that. His fielding was solid and, even though his average in a month was barely over .200, the Rangers were encouraged by what they saw.

Jung played in 26 games and batted .204/.235/.418/.653 (20-for-98) with four doubles, one triple, five home runs and 14 RBI. He walked four times and struck out 39 times.

Jung’s Career at a Glance: The Rangers took Jung No. 8 overall in 2019 out of Texas Tech and signed him for $4.4 million. Injuries partially derailed his progress through the system and toward an expected MLB debut at the start of 2022.

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

In Surprise: Jung goes to Spring Training with a job — he’s the Rangers starting third baseman. That’s how the organization sees him. If all goes well in spring training, he’ll be on the hot corner on Opening Day, likely hitting in the bottom part of the order. The Rangers need him to do three things — reduce his strikeouts, continue to improve his 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.

2023 Texas Rangers 40-Man Spring Training Previews:

Joe Barlow | John King | Dane Dunning | Brett Martin | Jake Odorizzi | Yerry Rodriguez | Owen White | Cole Ragans | Andrew Heaney | Glenn Otto | Josh Sborz | Ricky Vanasco | Cole Winn | Nathan Eovaldi | Jon Gray | Jonathan Hernández | Spencer Howard | José Leclerc | Martín Pérez | Brock Burke | Jacob deGrom | Taylor Hearn | Jonah Heim | Sam Huff | Luisangel Acuña | Ezequiel Duran |

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