The Texas Rangers have been without their rookie All-Star third baseman Josh Jung since August 6, but his return is on the horizon. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that Jung could return to the lineup as soon as the end of next week, according to Evan Grant. This is big news for the Rangers, who are rapidly sliding out of the playoff picture.

Josh Jung has missed over a month with a broken thumb, but he took swings off the tee for the first time on Friday. He said the session went well and he felt no pain in his thumb. There is still some numbness in his hand, but that's nothing unusual.

“I didn’t feel anything, but it’s also still numb,” Jung said. “It was just a little weird. All my attention was on my hand instead of on my swing.”

Jung won't face live pitching until he receives full medical clearance. The Rangers expect that to happen next week while the team is in Toronto for a four-game series with the Blue Jays. Once cleared, Jung likely won't participate in a minor league rehab assignment. There's no time for that, and Corey Seager and Jonah Heim skipped the minors as well. If cleared next week, Jung could play in Cleveland by September 15.

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The Rangers are 10-17 since Jung's injury and are averaging just 4.2 runs per game. That's a big step back from the 5.4 they've averaged on the season. The bottom half of the lineup struggled tremendously in August, with Leody Taveras and Ezequiel Duran contributing virtually nothing.

Worse, the Rangers bullpen struggles are at an all-time high, and the rotation, which has been solid most of the year, is out of rhythm as well. Vibes are bad in the Rangers clubhouse as their late-season struggles continue. For the first time this season, they are outside of the playoff picture, trailing the Blue Jays by half a game for the third AL Wild Card spot.

Now, All-Star outfielder Adolis Garcia is on the 10-day IL. The Rangers have resorted to calling up top prospect Evan Carter in his place. Carter makes his debut Friday night.

With the regular season quickly winding down, the Rangers must find a way to right the ship. What has been such a promising season is headed towards disaster with three weeks of games remaining.