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Josh Jung, Adolis García return to Rangers lineup for final two weeks of season

Without Jung, the Rangers went 16-21 and suffered a significant lack of production at third base.

ARLINGTON — If nothing else, it was serendipitous timing.

After a weekend in which they scored just six runs in being swept at Cleveland, the offense got a much-needed injection on Monday with the activations of both third baseman Josh Jung and outfielder Adolis García from the disabled list. Both players took live batting practice Monday afternoon and were activated for Monday’s game. Jung hit fifth and García sixth.

It gave them their “regular” lineup for the first time since July 15. Left field has been transient for the Rangers all year, but Monday marked the first time their eight regulars had been together since the second game after the All-Star break. Corey Seager suffered a thumb injury shortly thereafter. Since then, Mitch Garver has established himself more solidly as an everyday player.

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While García had a team-high 34 homers and 100 RBI at the time he injured his knee against Houston, it could be argued that Jung’s absence has been felt even more.

The offense has tailed off badly in Jung’s absence. Perhaps it is merely coincidence, but the drop-off has been noticeable. The Rangers are averaging 4.59 runs per game in the 37 games since the rookie third baseman suffered a fractured left thumb. They had been averaging 5.79 runs per game until that point.

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And the drop at third base has been most precipitous. The Rangers have tried to fill the position with a combination of Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith and Jonathan Ornelas. The trio has combined to hit .150 with a .440 OPS in the last six weeks, making the Rangers’ third base group the least productive in the major leagues. The Rangers have just five extra-base hits from third base in that six-week period, and only one homer.

“He is a big part of what was missing with us,” Bochy said. “Now, with that said we’re not looking for him to carry us. I don’t want him to think like that because he’s missed a lot of time. We didn’t put him on rehab, so obviously there is some sense of urgency with how many games we have left. It stretches out the lineup.”

The Rangers have gone 16-21 in the 37 games since Jung was injured. They have gone from a 2.5-game lead in the AL West to a 1.5-game deficit.

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Jung, 25, was hitting .274 with 22 homers and an .812 OPS at the time he took a 106-mph line drive from Miami’s Jorge Soler off his glove hand. It fractured the thumb, requiring surgery on Aug. 9 to repair the fracture and install a plate with screws to stabilize it. He was a leading Rookie of the Year candidate at the time of his injury.

Jung was medically cleared to return to full activities by Arizona-based hand surgeon Dr. Don Sheridan, the surgeon who performed the procedure, on Thursday. He spent the weekend at the Rangers’ spring training facility in Surprise, Ariz., facing live pitching in preparation for his return. He said he experienced some pain in the thumb on Friday, but said the feeling was “night and day” on Saturday.

“My goal was to be ready today,” Jung said. “The doctor had initially kind of talked about being back for the last week of the season, but I wanted to beat that by a week. I know adrenaline is going to be really high, but my main objective right now is just to help the guys stay up. That will hopefully help me stay out of my own way.”

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