TODAY: The MRI revealed a minor pressure for Jung, based on RangersToday.com’s Jeff Wilson and different reporters. Each Jung and supervisor Bruce Bochy really feel Jung will probably be recovered for Opening Day, with some slight disagreement on the timeline — Jung stated he’ll miss two weeks, whereas Bochy feels Jung will probably be sidelined for 3 weeks.
FEB. 16: Camp solely simply opened this week, however the Rangers are already going through one probably worrisome damage state of affairs. Third baseman Josh Jung skilled discomfort in his calf whereas fielding grounders in the present day and is headed for an MRI, tweets Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com. The membership will present additional particulars as soon as the imaging has been carried out and evaluated by medical personnel.
Jung simply turned 26 years outdated this week and was the fourth-place finisher in American League Rookie of the Yr voting this previous season. The previous No. 8 general draft choose belted 23 dwelling runs and slashed .266/.315/.467 with sharp protection on the scorching nook. Have been it not for a fractured left thumb that saved him out of motion for six weeks, he’d very probably have been a top-three finisher and will’ve probably even given eventual winner Gunnar Henderson a run for his cash.
At this level, there’s no indication the workforce believes the damage to be severe, although the pending MRI examination suggests there’s a minimum of some extent of concern. The Rangers are comparatively deep in infield expertise, so within the occasion that Jung must miss any time, they’ll have choices. Ezequiel Duran stepped up in Duran’s absence final season, and Josh H. Smith has ample expertise on the nook as nicely. Veteran Matt Duffy is in camp as a non-roster participant this spring and would give the Rangers a strong glove and contact-oriented bat on the place if he makes the workforce.
On the subject of non-roster Duffys, Matt isn’t the one one in camp. Veteran left-hander Danny Duffy additionally inked a minor league pact with Texas this season and might be an essential depth piece for a membership that may open the season with Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle on the injured checklist and all probably out into the summer season. The 35-year-old southpaw hasn’t pitched within the massive leagues because the 2021 season on account of accidents however has been with the Dodgers (2022) and Rangers (2023) for the previous two seasons whereas working towards a return. Texas used him as a reliever within the minors in ’23, however Kennedi Landry of MLB.com tweets that Duffy is build up as a starter in camp this time round.
It’s a well-recognized position for Duffy, the longtime Royals hurler who’s made 204 of his 234 profession appearances out of the rotation. Except for a short dalliance within the bullpen in 2015-16, Duffy was a fixture on Kansas Metropolis’s beginning workers from 2014-21, throughout which era he logged a 3.82 ERA in 1015 innings whereas punching out 21.3% of his opponents in opposition to an 8.2% stroll fee. Duffy is now 35 years outdated and hasn’t pitched within the bigs since present process surgical procedure to restore a torn flexor tendon in Dec. 2021. He’s pitched a complete of 42 1/3 innings within the minors throughout the previous two seasons. Anticipating a full bounceback to his peak Royals type isn’t reasonable, but when he’s wholesome he needs to be a respectable choice to assist the workers.
Getting any contributions from Duffy or fellow non-roster invitees José Ureña and Adrian Sampson could be a boon for the Rangers. Texas is about to enter the season with a rotation together with Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning and sure Cody Bradford. It’s a a lot weaker group than the World Collection-winning outfit that completed out the 2023 season with Scherzer and present free agent Jordan Montgomery atop the workers. However common supervisor Chris Younger has indicated he doesn’t anticipate any extra additions to the large league roster at this level, strongly suggesting that the present group is the one the Rangers will carry into the season.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News takes a look on the in-house depth choices that stalled out final season. Former prime prospects Jack Leiter, Cole Winn, Owen White and Zak Kent all struggled in numerous methods in ’23. Righty Kumar Rocker, the No. 3 choose again in 2022, underwent Tommy John surgical procedure final Could.
That group was anticipated to provide some pivotal long-term rotation items, however every prospect has seen his inventory drop amid poor efficiency and/or damage. Grant notes that Leiter, who was shut down for almost two months final 12 months to work on his mechanics, spent the offseason understanding with American League Cy Younger runner-up Sonny Gray and veteran catcher Curt Casali. The trio all attended Vanderbilt (at completely different occasions, clearly). Grey labored with Leiter on simplifying his method and his plan on the mound. Grant chatted not solely with Leiter but in addition White and Kent about a few of the modifications they’ve made as they give the impression of being to get again on monitor and contribute at a time when the Rangers will probably be leaning extra closely on inside pitching depth than at any level in 2023.
