Rangers Call Up Another Young Triple-A Prospect

The infielder, the second young prospect Texas has called up this month, is the second 'Josh' to be called up this week.

Josh Jung isn’t the only young Texas Rangers prospect making his way to Arlington.

The Rangers made a flurry of moves on Thursday, one of which was officially calling up Jung, their No. 1 prospect. But the Rangers also recalled infielder Josh Smith from Triple-A Round Rock. Smith played some third base and outfield for Texas earlier this season.

The Rangers' tweet on Thursday noted that outfielder Kole Calhoun had been designated for assignment, but Calhoun is in the starting lineup for Friday's game with Toronto. 

On Friday, the Rangers' made four official transactions — they purchased the contract of Josh Jung, promoted Smith from Triple-A, moved outfielder Brad Miller to the 10-day injured list and send infielder Ezequiel Duran down to Triple-A.

Calhoun signed a one-year contract in the offseason, with a club option for 2023. Calhoun is batting just .207 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI. He’s been a consummate teammate all season, even moving to left field to allow Adolis Garcia to move to right when Leody Taveras was called up to play center field.

Smith was scheduled to start in left field on Friday. Calhoun was set to be the designated hitter.

Smith played 50 games with the Rangers and hit .218 with one home run and 12 RBI. He’s one of the fastest players in the organization, with his one home run being an inside-the-park job against Oakland.

With the Express, Smith played 55 games and hit .290 with six home runs and 45 RBI.

Miller heads to the IL with a .212 batting average, along with seven home runs and 32 RBI.

King returns to Round Rock with a 1-3 record and a 4.58 ERA. He gave up three hits and two runs in the Rangers’ loss to the Astros on Wednesday.

Jung held a press conference for Jung on Thursday during the team’s day off.

With Triple-A Round Rock, Jung batted .273/.321/.525/.846 with six home runs and 24 RBI in 99 plate appearances. He was recently name the Rangers’ top player of August at Round Rock after hitting .311 with a .998 OPS for the month.

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Note: This story has been edited to correct an earlier version that noted that Kole Calhoun had been designated for assignment.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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