Will surgery keep Texas Rangers prospect Josh Jung from his MLB debut this season?
Josh Jung wore baseball pants and carried a glove and long-tossed Saturday afternoon at the Surprise Recreation Campus.
He also worked on his juggling skills.
That’s about all he’ll be able to do for a few weeks.
Jung, the Texas Rangers’ top prospect, has a stress fracture in his left foot and will undergo, on Monday in Texas, a procedure during which a screw will be inserted into his foot to help prevent further injuries.
The typical recovery time is six to eight weeks, which would be more of an issue if Jung were on the MLB roster. But because the minor-league season is delayed until early May, Jung might miss only the first two weeks of games.
“It could be shorter than that, but that’s what we’re going to plan for,” said Jon Daniels, the Rangers’ president of baseball operations. “If there’s a silver lining, you’ve got the delayed start to the minor-league season, so he really won’t miss a lot of time as far as the regular season.
“But he certainly will miss some time in terms of preparing for it.”
Dr. Keith Heier, the Rangers’ foot specialist, will perform the surgery in Carrollton. Dr. Keith Mesiter, the Rangers’ team physician, presented Jung with the option of resting the injury, but surgery minimizes the risk of a setback.
Jung was one of the best players in his first big-league camp, impressing with his work ethic in addition to adjustments he made at the plate that have generated more pull-side power to a swing that at Texas Tech was geared toward hitting the ball the other way.
The Rangers’ first-round pick in 2019 (eighth overall), Jung could start his season at either Double A Frisco or Triple A Round Rock. The Rangers expect that Jung will still make his MLB debut this season.
“He, along with several other of our players, could have that opportunity this year depending on how they do,” Daniels said. “I don’t think we have anything set in stone. We don’t have any clear date. What we’re looking for is for these guys to go out and compete and perform and take the steps that we feel they need to, especially after a season in which they didn’t play.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2021 at 4:44 PM.
