SEATTLE — Tag plays, a ball hit in front of him, a double, and a first-to-third read are the boxes Josh Jung has to clear at Triple-A Round Rock, Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said in a pregame interview on Rangers Sports Network.
Jung took live at-bats Monday, and Schumaker pointed to Robert Garcia‘s one-outing rehab as the precedent for how short this one could be.
“Robert Garcia needed one outing, and he was active. So JJ, he’s going to be playing today. He had a live at-bat yesterday, went well,” Schumaker said. “Playing today in a game, hopefully he can mimic some stuff, whether it’s getting some plays, some tag plays, coming in on a ball, and then obviously taking some swings.”
“And the hope is he hits a double so he can feel that calf and make sure it feels okay, or a first-to-third base-running type of move,” Schumaker continued. “If he checks all of those boxes, then you can kind of make the decision maybe quicker than usual.”
Texas sent Jung to Round Rock on a minor league injury rehab assignment Tuesday. He batted second and served as the Express designated hitter Tuesday night at Salt Lake. A position player may spend up to 20 days on a rehab assignment, and Round Rock’s regular season ends Sept. 20.
Josh Jung Has Not Played Since July 21
Jung has been on the 10-day injured list since July 25, retroactive to July 22, with a left calf strain. July 21 against the Chicago White Sox remains his most recent major league game. He singled and scored in the third inning of a 10-0 win before leaving.
Before the calf, Jung was hitting .294/.361/.441 with 9 home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games. His 104 hits and 23 doubles led the Rangers at the time.
The calf has given Jung trouble twice before. A left calf strain cost him most of spring training in 2024, and another calf problem kept him out four games in 2025. Neither put him on the injured list.
Skip Schumaker Wants Josh Jung To Get A Rehab Game Right
Jung’s calf is the last piece of a progression that has already cleared running, base running, and live at-bats.
“He had a live at-bat yesterday, went well,” Schumaker said. “Playing today in a game, hopefully he can mimic some stuff.”
Texas selected Jung eighth overall out of Texas Tech in the 2019 draft. He made the American League All-Star team as a rookie in 2023 and started at third base through the Rangers’ World Series run that fall. He is a career .264/.313/.430 hitter across 417 games with 58 home runs and 196 RBIs. Jung and the club avoided arbitration with a one-year, $2.9 million contract for 2026, and he is arbitration eligible again in 2027.
Most of the third-base work in his absence has gone to Ezequiel Duran. Garcia came off the 60-day injured list Monday after one rehab appearance, and right-hander Ben Peoples was optioned to Round Rock in the corresponding move.
Texas opened the road trip at 71-73 with 18 games left, second in the American League West and two games behind the Houston Astros. The Rangers are also two games out of the third American League wild card spot.
Cal Quantrill started the series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park. Both remaining games begin at 3:10 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network, and the Rangers open a three-game series at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
