Josh Jung Stresses Rangers Unity Amid Tony Clark’s MLBPA Resignation

Josh Jung is in his second year as the Texas Rangers’ player rep and is helping the MLBPA work through selecting a new executive director.

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (left). | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Josh Jung worked overtime on Tuesday on behalf of his Texas Rangers teammates.

As the team’s player representative for the MLB Players Association, Jung was on a conference call Tuesday afternoon to discuss the resignation of executive director Tony Clark and determine a replacement.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Those conversations are still ongoing. Another meeting is expected on Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s not the most ideal situation,” Jung said.

How Josh Jung Found Out About Tony Clark

Former Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark. | Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Clark resigned on Tuesday after an internal MLBPA inquiry revealed that he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who was hired by the organization in 2023, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Clark was also dealing with a Department of Justice probe, which is looking into his handling of union finances.

Jung found out like most people did on Tuesday — in a news story. Texts from MLBPA personnel and teammates followed.

“We got a text yesterday right around the time the news broke,” he said.

Jung, who is 28, has been the Rangers’ team rep for two years. Former Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien was seen as the player rep for the team. But Jung said that because Semien was on an executive subcommittee, he couldn’t be the player rep. Jung took the role over from former Texas pitcher Dane Dunning.  

Semien was part of the player negotiating team in 2021 and 2022 when the MLBPA and MLB negotiated the current collective bargaining agreement, which expires Dec. 1.

So, Clark’s resignation is ill-timed. Jung said he’s been fielding questions from players and he and the players intend to meet later Wednesday.

Jung wasn’t on the 40-man roster in 2021 and therefore wasn’t part of the previous negotiations and lockout as he wasn’t an MLBPA member.

“I’m just so new to it, so I’m still learning a lot,” he said. “This will be the first time I go through the negotiating process.”

The message is unity as the players and owners hope to avoid either a lockout or strike. MLB owners locked players out for more than two months during the 2021-22 offseason.

“What’s going to get us through is just staying together and being unified through this process.,” he said. “The negotiations coming up are big for us, but the big thing is for all of us players to be on the same page, and I think this is a good time for all of us to sit down and talk about it.”