Rangers get timeline on Josh Jung injury return after fractured thumb

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung recently fractured his thumb, and now it has been reported that he will have surgery to stabilize the fracture and that he is expected to be out for six weeks, according to Evan Grand of the Dallas Morning News.

Josh Jung was having a very successful season before he fractured his thumb. He was firmly a contender to win the rookie of the year award in the American League, and has been a big part of why the Rangers are on top in the American League West.

With Jung being out for six weeks, that means he will likely be able to return to the Rangers for the last couple of weeks of the season. Given that it would be late in the year, it would make sense that he does not do a rehab assignment, as minor league seasons will be wrapping up right around then in mid-to-late September.

The Rangers are currently 2.5 games ahead of the Houston Astros in the American League West division. They had the lead by a wider margin early on in the season, but the Astros have close the gap since then. Despite the Astros making a run for the division, the Rangers have been able to maintain first place.

Texas is all in to try to win this season. They added significant pieces at the trade deadline and throughout the season. They added Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery to their rotation. The expectation is to win and compete in October.

It will be interesting to see how the Rangers compete without Jung, and the type of impact Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery make down the stretch.