Texas Rangers Third Baseman Still Several Weeks From Return

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy had an update on third baseman Josh Jung after his examination in Arizona on Friday.

Apr 1, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas — Injured Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung had his examination for his broken wrist on Friday in Arizona and manager Bruce Bochy said that while he’s progressing from the injury he’ll need more time to return.

Bochy made the comments before Saturday’s game with the Cincinnati Reds at Globe Life Field.

Jung has been out since the first full week of the season with the broken wrist.

“He’s doing fine,” Bochy said. “He’s still a ways away. Four, five, six weeks maybe. He’s coming along.”

Bochy indicated that four-to-six weeks would be a return to the field. If Jung were ready to return on the fast side of that window that would be in late May.

In the meantime, the Rangers continue to platoon Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran at third base. Duran was originally going to start on Saturday as Bochy was set to give shortstop Corey Seager a day off. That would have allowed Smith to play shortstop.

But Bochy changed the lineup to start Seager, moving Smith to third and Duran out of the lineup for the day.

Smith has been the hotter bat of late, as he entered Saturday’s game with a .293 batting average with one home run and 12 RBI.

Jung is currently on the 60-day injured list. He had a .412 average with two home runs and six RBI when he suffered the injury.

The 26-year-old Jung broke the wrist against Tampa Bay in the season’s fourth game, another setback in a career that has been beset by injuries since he was drafted in the first round by the Rangers in 2019 out of Texas Tech.

Last year Jung, as a rookie, slashed .266/.315/.467/.781 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI in 122 games. He was named the AL Rookie of the Month for both April and May, but he missed more than a month after the All-Star break with a broken thumb suffered when he tried to field a line drive.