Ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Detroit Tigers, the Texas Rangers made several roster adjustments — but a call-up for third baseman Josh Jung wasn’t among them.
Despite expectations, Jung remains in Triple-A Round Rock, as manager Bruce Bochy and team leadership feel he’s still not ready to rejoin the major league squad.
Instead, the Rangers selected infielder Cody Freeman’s contract after placing outfielder Sam Haggerty on the 10-day injured list.
Freeman, who began his day in Las Vegas, got the nod over Jung, signaling the organization’s view that Jung needs more time to adjust his approach at the plate.
“He’s still working to rediscover his game,” Bochy said. “That’s what he needs to focus on right now.”
Before being optioned on July 2, Jung was slashing .237/.283/.366 with a .649 OPS, eight home runs, and 35 RBI across 75 games — the lowest OPS of his MLB career. His strikeout rate of 30.5% was also a concern, especially given the team’s overall offensive struggles.
Though he had moments of reliability earlier in the year — hitting as high as .280 in late May — his production dipped significantly by June, hitting just .158 over his last 25 games before the demotion.
Josh Jung
In Round Rock, he’s slashing .214/.241/.393 with one home run, three RBI, and seven strikeouts in 28 at-bats across six games.
Josh Jung
The Rangers have taken a similar developmental approach with other players. First baseman Jake Burger was previously sent down to work on his swing and returned with improved results, while Adolis García was given a short break instead of a demotion and has since rebounded at the plate.
Texas hopes Jung’s reset will lead to a similar resurgence.
“He’s getting close, but he’s not quite ready,” Bochy added, noting he closely watches each of Jung’s at-bats.
