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Texas Rangers: Josh Jung, other top prospects will have to wait until 2022

Seth Carlson

Nolan Writin'

AMARILLO, TEXAS - JULY 25: Infielder Josh Jung #18 of the Frisco RoughRiders hits the ball during the game against the Amarillo Sod Poodles at HODGETOWN Stadium on July 25, 2021 in Amarillo, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

It’s called the future for a reason.

The Texas Rangers plan to define the term “future” quite literally when it comes to subsequent promotions of top prospects, most notably Josh Jung, Sam Huff (who actually saw time last season) and Cole Winn, but others as well.

And no, we shouldn’t wish for injuries or unforeseen circumstances to prompt a call-up. Ultimately, this does feel like the correct course of action for a number of reasons.

The Texas Rangers are doing the right thing delaying top prospect debuts until 2022

Firstly, service time. Why rush these prospects’ rookie clocks ahead of schedule? They’d become free agents earlier and any big league playing time in 2021 would be pretty inconsequential since the Rangers aren’t playing meaningful games.

Secondly, it’s all about preserving the long-term health of these players. This is especially the case with Josh Jung, who if you remember, suffered a foot fracture this season and had to wait until the summer to make his debut. Though he’s been raking at AA and AAA this season, it would be more beneficial to have Jung debut in 2022 when he would have a chance to begin in the big leagues or at least be contributing by May.

Likewise, Sam Huff would’ve probably seen big league action in 2021 had it not been for an injury of his own. He figures to see some in 2022 as well.

With Glenn Otto and A.J. Alexy and other call-ups finding early success and injecting youth and energy back into this roster, it’s completely understandable to want more of that. To be frank, it’s these guys that make me want to watch the games the rest of the way. There’s some real promise for the Texas Rangers on the horizon.

But it’s also the right call to hold off on any major prospect promotions in 2021. Don’t you want these players to be healthy and successful long term for the Rangers? And don’t you want to keep having something to look forward to?

I would definitely answer “yes” to both questions.

Seth Carlson

Seth has been with FanSided since April 2020, most notably as Site Expert at Nolan Writin' (Texas Rangers) for over two years. He is a graduate of Temple University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in History and Spanish. When he's not busy writing about baseball, find him talking about it, watching it and going to games when he can.