Rangers Juggle Roster: Martin Sidelined, Jung Returns
The Texas Rangers opened their series against the Oakland Athletics on Monday with a mix of frustration and hope. On the same day veteran reliever Chris Martin landed on the injured list with a left calf strain, the club welcomed back third baseman Josh Jung from Triple-A Round Rock.
Martin’s Setback
Martin’s injury comes as a blow to the defending champions. The 39-year-old right-hander exited Sunday night’s game against Detroit after grabbing at his leg, and manager Bruce Bochy confirmed that the strain will likely sideline him four to six weeks.
“It’s going to be a while anytime with that calf,” Bochy said. “We’re hoping sooner, but calves tend to linger.”
For Martin, who has been a stabilizing force in the bullpen with a 2.39 ERA across 39 games, it marks his second stint on the IL this season. He previously missed two weeks with shoulder fatigue in May.
“This is a significant setback,” said team president Chris Young. “Hate it for Chris — he’s been such an important piece. The hope is to get him healthy for the stretch run. If we can keep ourselves in position, getting him back will be like a trade-deadline addition.”
Jung’s Return
Balancing the loss, Texas recalled Josh Jung, along with right-hander Cole Winn and utility man Michael Helman. To make room, Justin Foscue and Alejandro Osuna were optioned back to Round Rock.
Jung, once one of the lineup’s most reliable bats, struggled badly before his demotion on July 2. He was hitting just .164 over his last 30 games with the Rangers, despite an overall .237 average with eight homers and 35 RBIs. His brief stint in Triple-A wasn’t dominant — he hit .205 — but back-to-back home runs last weekend signaled progress.
“We saw some of the adjustments we were hoping for,” Young explained. “It’s as much about timing in the season as anything. Josh is an important piece, and we wanted him to reset mentally. Now we need him for these big games before the deadline.”
Jung, an All-Star starter in 2023 during the Rangers’ championship season, returned to the big-league lineup batting eighth Monday night against Oakland rookie Jacob Lopez.
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