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Josh Jung To Undergo Thumb Surgery

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Rangers’ rookie third baseman Josh Jung will undergo surgery to stabilize a fracture in his left thumb, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). He’s expected to miss roughly six weeks.

Jung broke his thumb when he knocked down a Jorge Soler line drive in last night’s win over Miami. The Rangers placed him on the 10-day injured list today, recalling Jonathan Ornelas for his big league debut in his place. With the injury requiring surgical repair, Texas loses one of its top bats well into next month.

The six-week timetable leaves open the possibility of Jung returning during the regular season. If everything goes well, he could be back for the final two to three weeks of the schedule. Given how tightly contested the AL West is, it’s quite possible that stretch of play could determine the Rangers’ playoff standing. Texas leads the Astros by 2.5 games; they’re in strong position to at least secure a Wild Card berth, but the division would come with the added bonus of a first-round bye (since the AL Central winner is almost certain to be the third seed).

It’s a third straight season with a notable injury for Jung. After a broken foot in 2021, he injured his left shoulder in a weight room accident headed into 2022. That kept him from making his MLB debut until last September and probably contributed to a lackluster .204/.235/.418 showing in his first 26 games. After a healthy offseason, Jung has broken through as a middle-of-the-order presence in Arlington.

The former eighth overall pick owns a .274/.323/.489 line over 461 trips to the dish. While his strikeout and walk marks are middling, he has popped 22 homers. He leads American League rookies in longballs, putting him in strong consideration for Rookie of the Year. That’ll be far more challenging now.

As Ethan Hullihen points out (Twitter links), that could deal another hit to the team. Jung met the prospect criteria — appearing on at least two preseason Top 100 lists at Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and ESPN (he made all three) — for the Prospect Promotion Incentive. The Rangers carried Jung on the active roster from the start of the season. If he were to win Rookie of the Year, he’d net Texas an extra draft choice — as Julio Rodríguez did for the Mariners last season. That isn’t out of the question, but the injury reduces Jung’s chances of nabbing the award.

The more immediate concern, of course, is how to replace Jung at the hot corner. Ezequiel Duran figures to get the bulk of the playing time there. Duran, who has slumped since the All-Star Break following a stellar first half, is hitting seventh and manning third base tonight against Oakland southpaw Ken Waldichuk.

Rangers’ Josh Jung Suffers Left Thumb Fracture

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Rangers third baseman Josh Jung suffered a fracture in his left thumb during today’s game with the Marlins, manager Bruce Bochy told MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry and other reporters.  The injury occurred in the sixth inning when Jorge Soler hit a 109.4mph liner off of Jung’s glove hand at third base, and while Jung recovered to start an unlikely double play, he left the game after the next batter.

The fracture was apparent on initial x-rays, and a clearer timeline will be known in a day or so.  If surgery is required, the usual six-to-eight week timeframe for thumb procedures threatens to possibly end Jung’s 2023 season entirely, though much depends on the nature and severity of the fracture.  Since the Rangers are on pace to reach the postseason and receive a first-round bye if they win the division, Jung could rejoin the team before the start of its first playoff series.

Of course, winning the AL West and holding off the Astros and Mariners will be more difficult for the Rangers without their star rookie in the lineup.  Considered one of baseball’s top prospects during his time in the Texas farm system, Jung made his big league debut with 26 games in 2022, and then headed into this season as the everyday third baseman.  Jung has more than delivered on that regular role, hitting .274/.323/.489 with 22 homers over 461 plate appearances and becoming one of the favorites in the AL Rookie of the Year race.

Not that there’s a good time to ever lose a key player, but Jung’s injury occurring after the trade deadline makes it more difficult for the Rangers to find any sort of depth or replacement.  It was a little over a week ago that the Rangers also lost catcher Jonah Heim to a wrist sprain, and with Heim’s return in question this year, Texas quickly pivoted to acquire Austin Hedges and Kevin Plawecki in separate trades with the Pirates and Padres.  While there are still several ways to obtain players after the deadline, it’s easy to imagine the aggressive Rangers getting into the hunt for a bigger-name third baseman like Jeimer Candelario if Jung had gotten hurt even a week earlier.

Between Jung, Heim, Brad Miller out with a hamstring strain, and Corey Seager still battling a nagging thumb problem, the powerful Rangers lineup has started to spring some holes.  Jung has played almost every inning at third base this season, but Josh H. Smith or Ezequiel Duran figure to platoon at the position while Jung is sidelined.  Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News figures that outfielder Bubba Thompson is the likeliest call-up from Triple-A, unless Seager’s status makes the Rangers call up another infielder (perhaps Jonathan Ornelas, also on the 40-man roster) to provide more depth on the dirt.

Like pretty much everyone on the Rangers, Smith and Duran are having good offensive seasons in their own rights, with Duran in particular delivering a .281/.326/.482 slash line over 325 PA.  However, Duran has been in a slump since the start of July, and has started to lose playing time at his regular left field or DH spots.  Perhaps getting more regular infield work would help spark Duran, since a return to that earlier-season form would go a long way towards helping the Rangers thrive without Jung.  Duran and Smith make for a natural righty/lefty platoon, and Smith has an above-average (101 wRC+) offensive profile this year, hitting .214/.344/.349 over 153 PA.

This marks the third straight season that Jung has suffered a notable injury, as he surely would’ve been in the majors much earlier than September 2022 if he’d had some better health luck.  Jung underwent surgery for a foot fracture in 2021, and then missed over half of the 2022 season recovering from shoulder surgery.

Rangers To Promote Jonathan Ornelas

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The Rangers will call up infielder Jonathan Ornelas from Triple-A prior to Monday’s game with the Athletics, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (Twitter link).  Ornelas will take the roster spot of Josh Jung, as the third baseman is headed for the 10-day injured list after suffering a fractured thumb in today’s 6-0 win over the Marlins.  It will mark the Major League debut for the 23-year-old Ornelas whenever he makes his first in-game appearance.

Ornelas is already on the Rangers’ 40-man roster, as Texas added him last winter in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.  A third-round pick for the Rangers in the 2018 draft, Ornelas has displayed some good on-base numbers over the last two seasons in the minors, though his overall hitting profile has yet to truly develop, given his .250/.360/.348 slash line over 398 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.

This hitting potential ranks as the biggest question for MLB Pipeline (who rank Ornelas as the 14th-best prospect in the Rangers’ farm system) and Baseball America (28th).  As BA’s scouting report puts it, Ornelas is “an extremely aggressive hitter who has below-average swing decisions and pitch recognition.”  His hard-contact abilities are muted by his inconsistency at keeping those hard-hit balls off the ground, though he has enjoyed some high BABIPs during his minor league career.  As for fielding, Baseball America gave Ornelas a modest 45 on the 20-80 scouting scale, while Pipeline was notably higher with a 60-grade for his glovework, describing Ornelas as a good utility infield candidate whose ultimate MLB future will be determined by how well he can fare at the plate.

Ornelas has mostly played shortstop in the minors, also garnering a good amount of time at second base, third base, and center field.  This ability to play shortstop might be why Texas opted to promote Ornelas, as beyond Jung’s injury, Corey Seager is not yet entirely recovered from a recent thumb sprain that resulted in an IL trip.  Seager didn’t play today and manager Bruce Bochy told the Associated Press and other reporters that Seager may also sit out Monday’s game for additional rest.

Ezequiel Duran is the first-choice substitute at shortstop if Seager isn’t in the lineup, but Duran and Josh H. Smith now also figure to split duties at third base in Jung’s absence.  With utilityman Brad Miller also on the IL recovering from a hamstring strain, Ornelas will provide the Rangers with another multi-positional depth option as they figure out how to both fill Jung’s spot and manage Seager’s health.

Ken Suarez Passes Away

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Former major leaguer Ken Suarez recently passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, per an obituary from a Texas funeral home. He was 80 years old.

Originally from Tampa, Suarez was a catcher at Florida State University in Tallahassee during the 1963 season, when the team went to the College World Series. The following year, Suarez was signed by the Kansas City A’s as an amateur free agent as a member of the last class of prospects to sign prior to the implementation of the MLB draft in 1965. Suarez made his big league debut for the A’s in 1966, appearing in 35 games before heading back to the minor leagues. 1967 marked perhaps the best year of Suarez’s career in the majors, as he slashed .238/.388/.413 with two home runs in 82 trips to the plate.

Prior to the 1968 campaign, Suarez was drafted by Cleveland in the Rule 5 draft thanks in part to his connection to new manager Al Dark, for whom Suarez had played for in Kansas City. Across two seasons in Cleveland, Suarez slashed a respectable .274/.378/.358 with more walks (16) than strikeouts (15) in 113 trips to the plate as the club’s backup catcher. Suarez did not appear in the majors in 1970 but played in 50 games in 1971 before being dealt to the Rangers ahead of their inaugural season in Texas.

During his age 30 season in 1973, Suarez became the Rangers’ primary catcher, slashing .248/.334/.299 while playing quality defense behind the plate. That increase in playing time led him to seek a raise from Rangers brass, and when the sides were unable to reach an agreement, Suarez became the first player in Rangers history to send a contract to arbitration.

That decision prompted the Rangers to trade him back to Cleveland, though Suarez ultimately decided to retire from professional baseball rather than report to camp that spring. In all, Suarez played parts of seven seasons in the majors, batting .227/.330/.297 across 785 plate appearances. Following his playing career, Suarez did color commentary and scouting work for the Rangers.

MLBTR extends our condolences to Suarez’s family, friends, and loved ones.

Cole Hamels Retires

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The Padres announced Friday that veteran left-hander Cole Hamels, who’d signed a minor league deal in hopes of working his way back to the Majors in San Diego, has ended that comeback bid and retired.

Hamels, 39, was drafted by the Phillies with the No. 17 overall pick out of San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo High School back in 2002. By the time he’d wrapped up his first professional season — with 101 innings of 1.34 ERA ball — he’d vaulted up prospect rankings, checking in as the game’s No. 17 farmhand on Baseball America’s top-100.

While many first-round picks and top prospects fail to live up to those billings, Hamels shattered expectations and went on to become one of the generation’s finest pitchers. Despite being drafted out of high school, he reached the Majors less than three years after his selection, debuting with five shutout innings against the Reds in May 2006. Hamels posted a modest 4.08 ERA in 132 1/3 innings as a rookie but broke out with an All-Star season that saw him finish sixth in NL Cy Young voting the following year.

From 2006-15, Hamels starred for the Phillies. He and teammates Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins became synonymous with the Phillies organization during their halcyon days, serving as the foundation that ultimately brought a World Series title to the city in 2008. Hamels was sensational that season, firing 227 1/3 innings of 3.09 ERA ball, but he saved his best work for the postseason. On the game’s biggest stage, Hamels pitched 35 innings with a 1.80 ERA, compiling a 4-0 record and taking home MVP honors in both the National League Championship Series and in the World Series.

Hamels helped the Phils back to the postseason in each of the following three years. They repeated as NL champs in 2009 before dropping the World Series to the Yankees. Hamels had a relative down season in ’09 but rebounded to fire 208 2/3 frames of 3.06 ERA ball the next year. He secured his second All-Star nod and a fifth-place Cy Young finish with a 2.79 ERA over 216 frames in 2011.

The Phillies’ run of team success came to a close after that season. Philadelphia wouldn’t make the playoffs again until last year’s club took home another pennant. The down stretch of Philadelphia baseball was no fault of Hamels. He reached 30 starts each season from 2012-14 and posted an ERA below 3.60 in every year. Hamels secured another All-Star nod in 2012 and down-ballot Cy Young votes in two of those three years.

Midway through the 2012 campaign, the Phils signed him to a $144MM contract extension. While Hamels more than lived up to that investment, the team’s descent into a rebuild eventually led them to put him on the trade market. At the 2015 deadline, Philadelphia sent Hamels to Texas for a prospect package including Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams and Jerad Eickhoff.

The young talent never really panned out for the Phils, but Hamels kept producing in Texas. He’d throw 546 2/3 frames of 3.30 ERA ball as a Ranger, securing a fourth All-Star nod in 2016 and helping Texas to a pair of playoff berths. At the 2018 deadline, a then-rebuilding Texas club shipped him to the Cubs. Hamels provided Chicago with 12 starts of 2.36 ERA ball for the stretch run. The Cubs brought him back on a $20MM club option; he’d pitch to a 3.81 ERA over 27 starts the following season.

Hamels signed with the Braves over the 2019-20 offseason. Shoulder injuries limited him to one 3 1/3 inning appearance during the shortened schedule — which would unfortunately prove his final MLB outing. Shoulder injuries have derailed subsequent comeback attempts with the Dodgers and San Diego over the last three years.

While injuries robbed Hamels of his final couple seasons, he was one of the sport’s most durable and effective pitchers for well over a decade. The southpaw had 10 years in which he reached at least 190 innings, including eight seasons of 200+ frames. Only Justin Verlander logged a higher workload between 2006-19. Hamels posted a sub-4.00 ERA in 11 of his 14 seasons (excluding his one-start 2020), a remarkable stretch of consistency.

All told, Hamels threw just under 2700 innings while allowing 3.43 earned runs per nine. He won 163 games, struck out 2560 hitters and threw 17 complete games. He had a 3.41 ERA over 100 1/3 career postseason frames — highlighted by the aforementioned 2008 run to a title and World Series MVP. MLBTR congratulates Hamels on a fantastic career and wishes him the best in retirement.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Royals Claim Joe Barlow

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The Royals announced Friday they’ve claimed right-hander Joe Barlow off waivers from the Rangers. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Omaha. The Royals’ 40-man roster is now at 39 players.

Barlow, 27, changes organizations for the first time in his career. Texas selected him in the 11th round of the 2016 draft and called him to the majors five years later. Barlow got strong results out of the Rangers’ bullpen over his first couple seasons, following up a 1.55 ERA rookie showing with a 3.86 mark over 35 appearances last year.

Between his first two seasons, the Utah native worked to a 2.86 ERA across 64 innings. His underlying marks didn’t align with that excellent run prevention. His 21.4% strikeout percentage and 9.7% walk rate were each a touch worse than average. An unsustainably low .193 opponents’ average on balls in play was a big reason for his strong results. Yet Barlow was effective enough to quickly pitch his way up the bullpen hierarchy on subpar Texas clubs. He’d taken over as Chris Woodward’s closer by the end of his rookie season and ultimately locked down 24 saves in 29 attempts over his first couple years.

As Texas pushed firmly into win-now mode last winter, they installed free agent signee Will Smith into a late-inning role. Midseason trades of Aroldis Chapman and Chris Stratton followed. Barlow’s middling peripherals pushed him further down the depth chart. He has spent more time on optional assignment to Triple-A Round Rock than with the big league club this summer. Barlow has worked 9 2/3 innings of five-run ball over 13 MLB appearances, striking out six with two walks. He carries a 4.21 ERA with a 22.9% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk percentage in 25 2/3 Triple-A frames on the year.

Texas designated Barlow for assignment last weekend upon officially acquiring Stratton and Jordan Montgomery from St. Louis. He’s a sensible pickup for a K.C. club that has subtracted Chapman, Scott Barlow and José Cuas in trades over the past five weeks. Joe Barlow is in his first of three minor league option seasons. He won’t be eligible for arbitration until the end of next year at the earliest. With a couple open spots on the 40-man roster, the Royals used their high waiver priority to nab a depth arm with some experience in a high-leverage role and generally solid major league track record.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Trade Deadline Recap

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss the happenings of the recent trade deadline, including:

Check out our past episodes!

Rangers Move Martín Pérez To Bullpen

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The Rangers brought in some new additions to their rotation at the deadline, acquiring both Max Scherzer from the Mets and Jordan Montgomery from the Cardinals. One of them will replace Nathan Eovaldi, who recently landed on the injured list. Another opening will be created by veteran Martín Pérez getting bumped to the bullpen, reports Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. “It doesn’t mean that’s where he’s going to stay,” manager Bruce Bochy said of the move for Pérez. “But for this time around, that’s the plan.”

Pérez, 32, has a long track of being a serviceable major league pitcher. By the end of the 2021 season, he had tossed 1102 2/3 innings, allowing 4.71 earned runs per nine innings. His 15.3% strikeout rate was well below average, but his 8.3% walk rate and 49.2% ground ball were both solid enough to allow him to be of use.

For 2022, he signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Rangers and went on to have a career year. He made 32 starts and posted a 2.89 ERA over 196 1/3 innings, getting his strikeout rate up to a career high of 20.6% while still limiting walks and grounders. That earned him a well-deserved raise, as the Rangers issued him a $19.65MM qualifying offer, which he accepted.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to build off that late-career breakout. His strikeout bump has vanished, as his 14.4% rate this year is low even by his standards. The walk rate is still solid at 8.6% but he’s only getting grounders at a 41% clip, a huge drop from last year’s 51.4% rate. His ERA on the year is 4.98, with only five qualified pitchers worse than him in that department this year. It’s also been trending in a bad direction, as he had a 2.41 ERA at the end of April but a 6.15 mark since the start of May.

With those results, it’s not shocking that he’s been nudged out of the starting mix. This is a road he has travelled down before, as the Red Sox bumped him to the bullpen in 2021, though he was able to get back on track with the aforementioned breakout in 2022. Perhaps he will do so again at some point but the Texas rotation will now seem to consist of Scherzer, Montgomery, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney and Dane Dunning.

Dunning started the year in the bullpen but jumped into the rotation when Jacob deGrom landed on the injured list, later to require Tommy John surgery. In 16 starts since the start of May, Dunning has a 3.43 ERA. His 17.6% strikeout rate in that time isn’t especially impressive but he’s higher than Pérez in that department while also walking just 6.7% of hitters and keeping the ball on the ground at a 44.9% clip.

It seems those strong results will allow him to keep his starting gig, at least for the time being. As Bochy mentioned, the club could mix things up again in the months to come, though the group could get a bit more crowded. Bochy expects the club to have Eovaldi back after a minimum IL stint, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, which will make it harder both for Pérez to get back in the mix and for Dunning to keep his spot. Perhaps Eovaldi’s return would see Dunning hold his spot and Heaney get bumped to the bullpen since the latter has a lackluster 4.36 ERA on the season. But he has been trending better of late, with a 2.95 mark in his last four outings.

Of course, the final few months could also see some plot twists that change all of this, best laid plans and whatnot. The AL West is shaping up to be a fascinating race to watch in the final months, as the Rangers made their aforementioned rotation additions while the Astros got Justin Verlander and the Angels nabbed Lucas Giolito. The Rangers will undoubtedly be making whatever moves they feel give them the best shot at success in the weeks to come, with the large salary of Pérez not enough to keep him from the bullpen. He’ll return to the open market this winter while Dunning will qualify for arbitration for the first time.

Rangers To Acquire Austin Hedges

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The Rangers are acquiring catcher Austin Hedges from the Pirates, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). They’ll send international bonus space to the Pirates in return, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Texas has received excellent production from catcher Jonah Heim this year, but Heim was recently diagnosed with a wrist injury that’ll cost him at least a few weeks. Hedges can team with Mitch Garver to provide the Rangers with an elite defensive option behind the plate, though he’s also one of the lightest-hitting players in the game at present. Surgery hasn’t been ruled out for Heim, and if that ultimately ends up proving necessary, the addition of some depth behind the dish will prove all the more important.

Hedges, 31 next month, signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Pirates in the offseason. He’s turned in just a .180/.237/.230 slash line — disastrous even by his standards — but has continued to rate as the sport’s premier pitch framer and one of its top four pitch blockers, per Statcast. Defensive Runs Saved pegs him at a hefty +8 this season despite logging just 507 innings behind the plate so far. Hedges’ 14% caught-stealing rate is a career-worst mark for him, but he owns a career 28% mark in that regard. As far as defensive-minded backstops go, he’s arguably the best in the game.

Whether that offsets his utter lack of offense is up for debate, but the Rangers clearly felt him a worthwhile addition. Garver figures to see the bulk of the time behind the plate, but Hedges makes for a quality backup who has a reputation for working well with pitchers and prepping as a game-planner.

The Pirates, with top catching prospects Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez both in the Major Leagues, simply didn’t have at-bats for Hedges anymore. Both young backstops have recently raved about the influence Hedges had on them in their short time together, and his departure will now create further opportunities for that pair to continue their development at the MLB level. There’s a chance Hedges might’ve been simply designated for assignment had the Pirates not found a taker for him, so getting even a nominal return in the form of some additional space in their international free agent pool isn’t too bad an outcome.

Yankees Acquire Spencer Howard

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The Yankees acquired right-hander Spencer Howard from the Rangers for cash considerations, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter link).

Howard, 27, was selected by the Phillies in the second round of the 2017 draft and quickly rose up prospect boards, becoming a consensus top-35 prospect in the game ahead of the 2020 campaign. He made his debut later that season and struggled to a 5.92 ERA in 24 1/3 innings of work. Those struggles continued into 2021, where he posted a 5.72 ERA despite a solid 4.02 FIP in 28 1/3 innings with the Phillies before being shipped to Texas as part of the deal that brought right-hander Kyle Gibson to Philadelphia.

Things took an even more dire turn when Howard arrived in Texas, as he allowed a whopping 26 runs (23 earned) in just 21 1/3 innings down the stretch with the Rangers, leaving him with a 7.43 ERA on the season. While Howard opened the 2022 campaign as a member of the club’s starting rotation, he didn’t last in that role for long, ultimately pitching just 37 2/3 innings in the majors that season to the tune of a 7.41 ERA. Howard’s struggles in recent years have extended even to the minor league level, where he’s posted a 4.89 ERA in 77 1/3 innings the past two seasons despite a solid 31% strikeout rate.

Going forward, Howard figures to provide the Yankees with an optionable depth piece for their pitching staff. Howard seems unlikely to secure a spot in the club’s bullpen, which stands as one of the best in the sport even before adding right-hander Keynan Middleton earlier today. That being said, it’s possible Howard could compete for spot starts with depth options such as Randy Vasquez or Jhony Brito. As for the Rangers, the club sports an exceptionally deep rotation after the recent additions of Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery, and depth pieces like Glenn Otto and Cole Winn leave Texas well-positioned to absorb the loss of Howard without much issue.

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