Josh Jung injury update: Latest after Rangers third baseman goes down injured against Marlins

The injury occurred in the sixth inning when Jorge Soler hit a 109.4 mph fastball into Jung’s glove hand at third base, and though Jung recovered to start an improbable double play, he left the game after the next batter.

The fracture was apparent on initial X-rays, and a clearer timeline will be known in a day or so. If surgery is required, the usual six- to eight-week time frame for thumb procedures could end Jung’s 2023 season, though much depends on the nature and severity of the fracture. Because the Rangers are on pace to reach the postseason and receive a first-round bye if they win the division, Jung could return to the team before the first round of the playoffs begins.

Of course, winning the AL West and beating the Astros and Mariners will be more difficult for the Rangers without their rookie star in the lineup. Considered one of baseball’s best prospects during his time in the Texas farm system, Jung made his major league debut with 26 games in 2022 and then entered this season as the third everyday hitter. Jung has more than lived up to the hype in that regular role, hitting .274, .323 and .489 with 22 home runs in 461 plate appearances and becoming one of the favorites in the race for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Not that it’s a good time to lose a key player, but the fact that Jung’s injury occurred after the trade deadline makes it more difficult for the Rangers to find some sort of reinforcement or replacement. Just over a week ago, the Rangers also lost catcher Jonah Heim to a sprained wrist, and with Heim’s return in question this year, Texas quickly moved to acquire Austin Hedges and Kevin Plawecki in separate trades with the Pirates and Padres. While there are still plenty of ways to get players after the deadline, it’s easy to imagine the Rangers being aggressive in their pursuit of a big-name third baseman like Jeimer Candelario if Jung had gotten hurt a week earlier.

Between Jung, Heim, Brad Miller out because of a hamstring strain and Corey Seager still battling a lingering thumb problem, the Rangers’ powerful lineup began to show some flaws. Jung has played nearly every inning at third base this season, but Josh H. Smith or Ezequiel Duran should man the position while Jung is sidelined. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News figures that outfielder Bubba Thompson is the most likely to be called up from Triple-A, unless Seager’s situation causes the Rangers to call up another infielder (perhaps Jonathan Ornelas, also on the 40-man roster) to provide more depth at the plate.

Like virtually all Rangers players, Smith and Duran are having good offensive seasons in their own rights, with Duran in particular posting a 28.1%, 32.6% and 48.2% in 325 PA. However, Duran has been in a slump since early July and has started to lose playing time at his usual left field or DH positions. Perhaps more regular work in the infield will help boost Duran, as a return to early-season form would go a long way toward helping the Rangers thrive without Jung. Duran and Smith form a natural right- and left-handed platoon, and Smith has an above-average offensive profile (101 wRC+) this year, batting .214/.344/.349 in 153 PA.

This is the third straight season that Jung has suffered a serious injury, as he would surely have been in the majors long before September 2022 had he been luckier with his health. Jung had surgery for a fractured foot in 2021 and then missed more than half of the 2022 season recovering from shoulder surgery.