Negative Josh Jung update throws these underperforming Rangers stars into the spotlight

Injuries have been perhaps the most defining feature of the Texas Rangers' 2026 campaign. If it's not Corey Seager or Wyatt Langford hitting the IL, it's another key piece like Nathan Eovaldi. An injury that looms particularly large, however, is the calf strain that Josh Jung suffered on July 21. The hope was that Jung would return relatively quickly, but that hasn't been the case. He seems to have suffered a setback and hasn't performed any baseball activities in over a week

Injuries are nothing new for Jung, who has managed just 417 games played over four-plus big league seasons, but this one stings more than those in the past because the 28-year-old has been enjoying a breakout campaign with the bat.

Batting .294/.361/.441 with nine homers on the season, Jung has been Texas's most balanced hitter, if not its best. Given that offense has been a major concern, the Rangers rank 24th in runs scored with 495 and 18th in OPS at .715, losing a key cog in the lineup for an extended period of time is extremely problematic.

Jung has already been on the shelf for three weeks, and it looks like it will be a while until he's back in the fold; that doesn't bode well.

The Rangers need stars like Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford to step up in Josh Jung's absence

The wild thing is that the Rangers' offense seemed to turn a corner. For nearly two months, starting on June 1, they led the American League in both batting average and OPS. That performance came without Seager and Langford for large stretches. For the most part, though, Jung was healthy.

If we focus on that stretch when Jung was healthy, from June 1 through July 21, Texas slashed .264/.327/.431 for a .759 OPS that ranked ninth in the majors. However, from July 22 onward, the club has hit just .222/.297/.366, for a .663 OPS that ranks 23rd.

There have been some good performances during that dreadful stretch. Joc Pederson has a .996 OPS over 55 plate appearances. Brandon Nimmo checks in with a .918 mark across 77 plate appearances. Ezequiel Duran has registered an .853 OPS in 78 plate appearances.

But the two biggest horses the Rangers count on, Seager and Langford, have struggled. Seager has hit .243/.300/.351 since being activated from the IL, while Langford has managed a .162/.288/.324 line.

Health and the performance of Seager (as well as Langford) are two of the biggest keys for Texas to make a run down the stretch, and right now, the team is failing on both fronts. You can't control injuries, but star players can control their performance.

Theoretically, the Rangers could have a potent lineup when at full strength. A top six of Seager, Langford, Jung, Duran, Nimmo, and Pederson is formidable. There is a drop-off after that, as spark plugs like Elias Diaz and Nicky Lopez have run out of gas, while Evan Carter isn't exactly reliable. Still, the Rangers should have enough firepower to get the job done.

In order for that to happen, Seager and Langford need to play up to their name value, and Jung needs to get healthy. Otherwise, this could go off the rails quickly. The Rangers are enjoying a soft schedule to close out the year, but that doesn't mean that they can afford to give at-bats away. Even more important is the fact that without these stars playing up to their capabilities, there is virtually no way the team can make a deep playoff run.

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