The Texas Rangers third baseman broke his right wrist early last season and underwent a procedure in October to help alleviate lingering swelling.
Josh Jung said that he is swinging a bat without any issues and should be a full-go for the start of Texas Rangers spring training next month.
The third baseman provided the good medical news Thursday during an appearance on the DLLS Rangers Weekly Podcast. His right wrist was broken in the fourth game last season, and irritation at the end of the season led to a follow-up procedure in October.
That one, a tendon release surgery by Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles, made a significant difference.
“I’m full-go,” Jung said. “I don’t know if Dr. Shin waved some magic fairy dust over my wrist or what, but so far we’ve been able to feel like a normal human. Hopefully we can continue that.”
Jung did not work out Thursday as snow wiped out his plans at Globe Life Field, but he will be active this weekend. Jung is hosting Jung’s Backyard Battle, a Major League Wiffle Ball tournament with nearly 80 teams.
Jung is going to field one of them, and it’s loaded. His younger brother, Jace, is on the team along Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser and Rangers teammates Adolis Garcia, Jonah Heim and Cody Bradford. Evan Carter is also going to be there, though he’s not going to play.
Jung, though, said that his team is not a lock to win, as MLW veteran pitchers are craft and can put wild movement on their pitches. He also said that tournament rules, including no base running, greatly limit the risk of injuries.
“We’ll see how we fare,” Jung said. “That ball moves differently.”
The broken wrist last season was initially thought to be a clean break, but Jung said Dr. Don Sheridan discovered four fractures during surgery. Instead of missing six to eight weeks, Jung missed four months and played only 46 games. The Rangers shut him down in late September as he couldn’t manage the swelling.
The October surgery alleviated the irritation in the tendon that runs beneath the plate stabilizing the bone.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
