Rangers Boss Says Struggling Star Not Ready for Return to Majors Yet

ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers made a flurry of moves leading up to Friday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. None involved Josh Jung.

The third baseman, who was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on July 2 to work on his swing and plate approach, is not ready to come back to the Rangers, at least in the opinion of manager Bruce Bochy and the organization.

The clear sign was the decision to select the contract of infielder Cody Freeman on Friday — who was in Las Vegas to start the day — instead of recalling Jung, when the Rangers had to put outfielder Sam Haggerty on the 10-day injured list.

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“He’s trying to find his game down there,” Bochy said. “That’s what he needs to do.”

Jung’s slash before he left for the Express was .237/.283/.366 with a .649 OPS in 75 games. He had eight home runs and 35 RBI. His OPS was a career worst, including his short stint at the end of 2022, when he played in just 26 games.

The Rangers were highly concerned about his strikeouts. He had 73 in 279 at-bats, a rate of 30.5%. That rate is a bit lower than his 31.5% strikeout rate in 2023. But his average is both 2023 and 2024 was much higher — .266 in 2023 and .264 in 2024.

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His Statcast graphic is a sea of blue, which isn’t good. His chase rate of 35.% is in the 10th percentile in the game, while his whiff rate of 26.7% is in the 33rd percentile.

“He’s down there for a reason,” Bochy said. “He has to work on his swing, his approach and get back on track. That’s what he’s doing. As soon as he’s ready, he’ll be up here.”

In a year when the Rangers have, across the board, struggled on offense, Jung was at times one of their more consistent hitters. His batting average was as high as .280 on May 20.

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But, since June 1, his batting average fell from .277 to .237. He slashed .158/.208/.221 in 25 games with one home runs and 12 RBI.

With the Express, he is slashing .214/.241/.393 with one home runs and three RBI in six games. He has struck out seven times in 28 at-bats.

Jung isn’t the first player to be optioned to give him a chance to work on his swing and approach. The Rangers did the same with first baseman Jake Burger.

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Before his option he slashed .190/.231.330 with three home runs and 12 RBI. Since he returned, he’s slashed .250/.275/.442 with eight home runs and 23 RBI. He is currently on the injured list.

Texas took a different approach with Adolis Garcia. The Rangers sat him for the St. Louis series in late May. Before the benching, to give him a chance to work on his swing and approach, he slashed .208/.256/.371 with seven home runs and 27 RBI.

Since he returned, he’s slashed .264/.304/.439 with six home runs and 29 RBI.

Texas is hoping for similar results from Jung’s reset.

“He’s not quite there yet,” Bochy said, who said he watches every at-bat.

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