Rangers’ top prospect Josh Jung will undergo surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). The injury likely puts Jung on the shelf for six to eight weeks. A generalized timetable puts him on track to return a couple of weeks into the minor-league season. MLB.com ranked him as the 63rd best prospect in the game.
Jung, 23, is not on the Rangers’ 40-man roster, but he was invited to major-league camp. Generally speaking, he’s believed to be closer to the majors than one might assume, considering that his last game action took place in Single-A during his first professional season. The Rangers took Jung with the eighth overall pick out of Texas Tech in the 2019 draft. Jung departed Texas Tech as one of the best position players in Red Raiders history.
Even though the Rangers like what they’ve seen from Jung, he was not going to be on the Opening Day roster. Still, it’s an unfortunate setback for the Rangers’ consensus top prospect. He is likely to begin the 2021 season at Double-A. In the long term, the Rangers are hopeful that Jung will establish himself as the third baseman of the future at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
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