The Texas Rangers announced on Wednesday that they will be calling up third baseman Josh Jung from Triple-A Round Rock. Jung is the Rangers’ top prospect, and fans have been clamoring for his promotion for the last several months. The news was first reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Rangers deemed this move necessary in light of infielder Brad Miller going on the 10-day IL. With Miller being forced onto the shelf with a hip issue, it set the table for Jung’s call-up. He’ll make his major league debut on Friday evening when the Rangers open a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Globe Life Field.
Josh Jung’s Journey
Until recently, it was unclear if Josh Jung would make an appearance this season at the major league level. In March of 2021, Jung had surgery for a stress fracture in his foot, which was expected to lengthen his absence from organized baseball for another six to eight weeks. He made a miraculous recovery, and made up for lost time. Jung finished the 2021 season on a very high note.
He finally made his season debut in Double-A on June 15 ,and played 43 games at that level. Jung hit .308/.366/.544 for a wRC+ of 140. He was promoted to Triple-A on August 20, and somehow hit even better. In 35 games for the Round Rock Express, his slash line was .348/.436/.652, wRC+ of 166. That strong finish to his campaign launched him all the way up to #26 on Baseball America’s list going into this year.
Extended Stay
The Rangers have made it known that their plan is to keep Josh Jung on the major league roster for the remainder of the 2022 season. This will give him a good opportunity to adjust to his new team, as well as the rest of the league. That should also give Miller some extra time to recover from his hip issue. When he arrives on Friday, Josh Jung will join an infield of Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien, and Corey Seager. It will be interesting to see how he fares at this level.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Josh Jung, Brad Miller, Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager
