Rangers 3B Josh Jung to have MRI after left calf discomfort while fielding ground balls

Updated Feb. 16, 2024 3:50 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung will have an MRI after experiencing left calf discomfort while fielding ground balls on Friday, the team said.

It's a tough blow for Jung, who has been hampered by injuries since he was selected by Texas with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft.

He was in the middle of a breakout rookie season last year when he broke his left thumb on a fielding play against Miami on Aug. 6. He hit .274 with 22 homers and 67 RBIs before the injury, and then batted .196 with a homer and three RBIs in 13 games after he came back.

Jung, who turned 26 on Monday, rebounded in the playoffs, hitting .308 (20 for 65) with three homers and eight RBIs as Texas won the World Series.

Asked last month about what he learned from his first full big league season, Jung responded: “Stay healthy.”

“I think I’ve learned that three straight years,” he said. "It’s been three straight years of surgeries for me. So yeah, I know that one. But this time I’ve got to keep my eye on the ball and not let the ball move and break my thumb.”

He had surgery in February 2022 to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He also had an operation to repair a stress fracture in his left foot in March 2021.

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