Detroit Tigers to Call Up Hard-Hitting Top 100 Prospect to Face New York Yankees

The Detroit Tigers are adding another top prospect to their list of call-ups in advance of their game with the New York Yankees.

Mar 10, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Jace Jung (84) is congratulated by first baseman Ryan Vilade (71) for scoring a run in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Clover Park. / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The time has come for Jace Jung to join his brother in the Major Leagues.

The Detroit Free Press reported that Jung, the No. 5 prospect in the Tigers’ system per MLB Pipeline, would be promoted to the Detroit Tigers for Friday’s game with the New York Yankees.

That report came a few hours after ESPN reported that the Tigers would promote infielder Trey Sweeney from Triple-A. Detroit acquired Sweeney in the trade that sent pitcher Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jung is a homegrown prospect, drafted No. 12 overall by the Tigers in 2022. He is the younger brother of Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, who made his MLB debut in 2022 and helped the Rangers win the World Series last season as a rookie.

After joining the Tigers in 2022, he was sent to High-A West Michigan, where he batted .231 with one home run and 13 RBI in 30 games.

His numbers picked up in 2023 as he played for West Michigan and Double-A Erie. He combined to slash .265/.376/.502/.878 with 28 home runs and 82 RBI, a season that put him on the radar for a potential call-up this season.

Jung started this season with Triple-A Toledo and, aside from a few rehab games with Lakeland after an injury, he’s been with the Mud Hens. Combined he’s slashed .258/.380/.461/.841 with 15 home runs and 63 RBI.

MLB reported that the Tigers plan to play Sweeney and Jung a significant amount in the final weeks of the season to see where they fit in the franchise’s future. Sweeney will likely play short and Jung will play third, the same position his older brother plays.

He was one of five Detroit members in the MLB Pipeline Top 100 released earlier this week. The other four prospects were outfielder Max Clark, pitcher Jackson Jobe, infielder Kevin McGonigle and Bryce Rainer. Jobe is at Double-A and the rest are below him in the system.

Like his older brother, Jung went to MacArthur High School in San Antonio, Texas, and then went on to Texas Tech.

As a redshirt freshman in 2021, he was the Big 12 Player of the Year after he batted .337 with 21 home runs and 67 RBIs. That led to an invite to the Cape Cod Baseball League the following summer and another standout season with Texas Tech before the Tigers selected him No. 12 overall.