Josh Jung injury timetable isn’t good, but could’ve been worse for Rangers

Despite defeating the Rays 9-3 on Monday night, the Rangers win was overshadowed by a big injury. Third baseman Josh Jung took a ball off the hand in the ninth inning, and he came away with a fractured wrist.

On Thursday, Rangers GM Chris Young said that Jung had surgery and will likely miss six weeks. This will likely prove to be a big spot for Texas to fill, which they are already attempting to do by calling up prospect Justin Foscue to help patch the hole in Jung's absence.

The injury was a bit of a freak one, as Jung swung at the pitch that broke his wrist. But sometimes, that's baseball.

What does this mean for the Texas Rangers going forward?

Luckily, the injury is not season-ending. It's unfortunate that it came in the ninth inning of a game in which they had a commanding lead, but Jung will be back and will be able to contribute to a playoff run.

He's coming off a year in which he finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and played a big part in a lineup that mashed its way to a World Series win. In 122 games in 2023, Jung hit 25 doubles, 23 homers and posted a .781 OPS. He showed up big in the playoffs, hitting .308 with four doubles and three homers in 65 playoff at-bats.

He was really the first one who started the youth movement of players who move quickly through the system for Texas and has solidified himself as the third baseman of the future. It will be tough for Texas to completely replace him right away, but they've already begun to take steps to do so.

The team called up prospect Justin Foscue to take over at third. Foscue is ranked as the fifth-best prospect in the Rangers system by MLB Pipeline, and is also a relatively fast mover. He was taken in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State and made it to Double-A in his first season. He's not exactly Wyatt Langford in terms of how quickly he moved through the system, but it didn't take him long.

With Triple-A Round Rock last season, Foscue hit 18 home runs, drove in 84 and hit 31 doubles. His OPS was .862, with a particularly impressive .394 on-base percentage, due in large part to him walking more than he struck out in 122 games. There might be some regression with that plate discipline, but if he can provide some power with a good on-base like that, the Rangers will be in good shape.

According to Pipeline, his arm is not good enough to play third full-time at the big league level, so that will be something to keep an eye on in Jung's absence.

Jung's injury will not sink the Rangers season by any means because that lineup is still loaded with talent and power. It's a blow to any team to lose your third baseman, but the Rangers have enough outside of Jung to still compete day in and day out. He'll be back soon, and a fully healthy Rangers team will continue to be scary.