Much has been made of the situation surrounding the Rangers’ number one prospect Josh Jung. Many fans and media alike are wondering when the young third baseman is gonna get the call to the show. Yesterday that question was answered as sources confirmed that Jung would be called up this Friday.
Rangers GM Chris Young has said “Josh is doing everything he can, He’s played 21 games in AAA but 21 games does not expose you to everything you’re going to see at this level. Young went on to say that Jung’s minor league games were “his Spring Training stage” which makes sense considering Jung missed pretty much all of this spring with his shoulder injury.
Jung has been struggling a bit at AAA, in his past 13 games, he is hitting just .190. However, I don’t believe this has anything to do with why he has not been called up. I think it’s solely due to the fact that he has not played much at AAA.
Is Josh Jung’s time coming? When will he get called up?
Sources have confirmed to me that Josh Jung will be called up on Friday to make his big league debut against the Toronto Blue Jays
There is still a spot on the 40-man roster open after the recent DFA of veteran southpaw Dallas Keuchel. I also believe that with how the team is playing now, it’s the right time to call up the number one prospect.
Sources have also confirmed that Brad Miller will hit the IL to make room for Jung on the roster.
What would this call-up mean for the players already on the team?
Off the top of my head, I would say this does two different things.
1. Forces Ezequiel Duran to get his primary looks in left field.
2. Significantly takes ABs away from veterans.
Ezequiel Duran has performed pretty well since arriving back in Arlington. This season at the big league level, Duran has hit .240 with 5 homers and 25 RBIs.
However, with Josh Jung coming up, He will likely get the bulk of the work at third base for the remainder of the season. That action will likely force Duran into left field.
Duran moving to left causes another chain reaction, fewer ABs for the vets. Guys like Kole Calhoun, Brad Miller, and Charlie Culberson are going to have a tough time seeing the field a whole lot with Jung and Duran getting the bulk of the time at third base and left field respectively.
