First, Josh Jung. Now, Sam Huff. But Texas Rangers see opportunity for hurt prospects
The Texas Rangers are in the process of building for the future. The problem is they are having trouble getting the biggest pieces of the project in place.
Sam Huff, who missed almost all of spring training with a strained left hamstring, is expected to miss two months after having arthroscopic surgery next week on his right knee.
The catcher, ranked as the Rangers’ No. 2 prospect, might not catch this season, general manager Chris Young said.
The Huff news piles onto the injury that will keep top prospect Josh Jung out until mid-May. The third baseman underwent surgery in March to fix a stress fracture in his left foot.
Though the long-term prognosis for both is good, the Rangers’ window for evaluating them as pieces for the 2022 roster has been closed some.
But Young was quick to say that not all is lost.
Being injured is part of the business, a big part of it. Young, who spent 13 seasons pitching in the majors, said Jung and Huff will grow mentally and be better served the next time the injury bug bites them in the ... foot, hamstring and knee.
“For me, this is a great development opportunity,” Young said. “For Sam and Josh, the lessons that they are going to learn through these rehabs, what they’re going to understand about their body, is going to accelerate their development in a lot of ways and prepare them for the major leagues.”
Huff felt something while hitting in the cages in Arizona, and an exam revealed a loose body in the knee. He will undergo surgery Wednesday in Arlington with team physician Dr. Keith Meister.
Huff made his MLB debut late last season after Jose Trevino was knocked out by a left wrist impingement. Huff batted .355 in 31 at-bats, swatting three home runs and finding a groove behind the plate after some early hiccups.
He was expected to open the season at Triple A Round Rock.
Trevino and rookie Jonah Heim made the Opening Day roster and have caught every game so far. Veteran Drew Butera has been working out with the team and traveling with them as part of the taxi squad.
Young wouldn’t forecast if Huff will catch at some point this season, but said the knee scope is a straightforward procedure and not nearly as severe as the left knee injury that will keep first baseman Ronald Guzman out the rest of the season.
Young spent the past two weeks in Arizona at minor-league spring training and spoke with Huff after the injury. He and Jung aren’t hanging their heads or outwardly concerned about the impact the injuries will have on their futures.
“It sounds tough to believe, because you think you need to be playing to be ready for the major leagues, but there are lessons in terms of their resilience and perseverance that is going to serve them really, really well,” Young said. “These guys have done an unbelievable job of remaining positive. It’s another characteristic we want to see in winning players, and they have embodied that.”
The Rangers have dealt with many injuries to key prospects, most of them pitchers, the past two seasons.
Right-handers Ricky Vanasco, Ryan Garcia, Owen White and Mason Englert and left-hander Cole Ragans are in various stages of their rehabilitation after Tommy John surgery.
Lefty starter Brock Burke, who made his MLB debut in 2019, is a full participate in minor-league games in Arizona after missing last season because of shoulder surgery. Righty reliever Demarcus Evans is also a full-go after an offseason lat injury that forced him to miss all of big-league spring training.
Evans, who also made his MLB debut late last season, will be a candidate for the Rangers’ rotation as early as next month.
The minor-league seasons open May 4.
