ARLINGTON — The Rangers currently list 13 players on the injured list. They have five Cy Young Awards on the shelf. They are missing the Wonder Kid rookie, Wyatt Langford, and Evan Carter — the one they nicknamed their “Little Savior” — hasn’t started in more than a week.
There is a pretty strong argument to make, though, that they don’t miss anybody more than Josh Jung.
Over the weekend, that’s become ever more evident. While Jung acknowledged he’s still not able to swing a bat more than six weeks out from wrist surgery, the Rangers surpassed their total for games played without him from 2023. The offense without him is still seeking its footing, especially against left-handed pitchers.
The numbers from games without Jung a year ago to this year are strikingly similar. But it goes beyond offensive numbers. They are a winning team when Jung plays; not so when he doesn’t.
“He’s a pretty special player,” manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday. “Players are more than a spreadsheet of numbers. The presence and energy he brings, we miss it. He’s an All-Star and one of our core guys. You always miss core guys.”
Jung’s recovery from a fractured wrist is progressing, albeit a bit slower than hoped. What the Rangers initially hoped would be a six- to eight-week recovery, became 10-12 when hand surgeon Dr. Don Sheridan saw a more complex fracture that required a tricky placement of screws and a metal plate for healing. The Rangers are now looking at the long end of that window.
While Jung began taking ground balls and playing catch this week, he is at least 10 days or two weeks away from being cleared to swing a bat. Once he is cleared to do that, the buildup to game readiness is expected to take three or four weeks.
Another six weeks without him could wither the Rangers. Just consider some numbers:
Runs per game: Coincidence or not, the Rangers see a difference of about a run per game depending on Jung’s status. For the 42 games without him entering Saturday, they were averaging 4.45 runs. A year ago: They averaged 4.73 runs without him. For the 124 games that he has started since the beginning of 2023, the offense has averaged 5.73 runs per game.
Offensive metrics: The Rangers began Saturday with a .247 batting average without Jung this year, an identical match for their batting average without him last year. With him, it was .268 a year ago, .269 for the four games he played.
The OBP was identical, .341 last year, .341 this year. It, too, drops by 21 points without him to .320. The drop in slugging is even more noticeable because for as well as Josh Smith has played as Jung’s replacement at third base, he’s not the same power threat. They slug .463 with Jung, a very pedestrian .403 without him.
Take the overall numbers and they get exponentially worse against left-handed pitching. Smith, a left-handed hitter, has acquitted himself well against lefties, but he lacks power. When he hit fifth for 13 games, pitchers approached the middle of the order differently. They were more willing to attack Smith and allow for a hit or a double. Jung has game-changing power. On Saturday, the Rangers faced a lefty starter for the second straight day and the eighth time in 16 games in May.
“I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Josh [Smith] has done a great job of filling in for us,” Bochy said. “He’s a very valuable player.’’
Where it matters most: Maybe it’s all coincidental, but the Rangers are a winning team when Jung plays and a losing team when he doesn’t. They began Saturday 75-49 (.605) when he has started since the beginning of 2023; 38-46 (.452) when he doesn’t. That’s a huge difference. It suggests that perhaps Jung’s impact extends beyond simply his offensive numbers.
“He’s very engaged, a ‘top rail,’ kind of guy,” Bochy said of Jung’s presence. “He just brings that every day.”
Right now, the Rangers miss it.
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
