Rangers rookie third baseman Josh Jung fractured his left thumb on Aug. 7 and has been on the injured list since. He had it surgically repaired and has worked his way all the way back. He'll be activated from the injured list and is hitting fifth for the Rangers on Monday night against the Red Sox in Globe Life Field. He did not take a minor-league rehab assignment, so this will be his first game action in over a month.
Jung, 25, should provide a nice boost to the Rangers as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. In his 109 games this season, Jung has hit .274/.323/.489 (118 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 22 homers, 67 RBI, 70 runs and 2.2 WAR. He made the All-Star team.
The Rangers are locked into multiple battles with just two weeks to play. They are 1.5 games behind the Astros in the AL West race while holding the third and final AL wild-card spot. The Rangers hold a one-game lead over the Mariners in both races and trail the Blue Jays by a half-game for the second wild-card spot. Basically, the Rangers could end up the AL West champs (second seed), second wild card (fifth), third wild card (sixth) or miss the playoffs altogether.
After a three-game series at home against the Red Sox, the Rangers play the Mariners seven of their last 10 games with the lifeless Angels sitting in the middle for a three-game series.
Not that there is a direct correlation here, but the Rangers have gone 15-21 since Jung's injury. They held a lead as big as 6.5 games in the AL West this season and now are battling for their playoff lives.
