Josh Jung explains why his Rangers return from injury was delayed

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung was ahead of schedule in his recovery following major surgery on April 2, but a rush to get back on the field actually ended up setting the All-Star back.

Jung sustained a fractured right wrist after being hit by a pitch in the top of the ninth inning by then-Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Phil Maton on April 1. He was given the clear to play in four minor league rehab games with the Triple-A Round Rock Express just two months later in June.

However, getting back into action so quickly actually resulted in inflammation developing near his right wrist. This forced the San Antonio native to leave the field for another three weeks.

Jung said he and the ball club probably made things worse in their haste to get him back in action.

Did Josh Jung, Rangers make injury worse with hasty return?

"There's always that point with an injury where it's like, 'Okay, do I push through this or not?'. With all my other injuries, I've been able to just push through it and get to the other side. This was the first time where I wasn't able to do that. So that's where the disappointment came in," Jung said. "But I wouldn't have it any other way. I wanted to get back and play for the team. I was doing everything I could. Did we rush it a little bit? Probably. It was probably a little too much, too fast."

The previously mentioned surgery required screws going into his bone, and was initially thought to be successful.

Following three more weeks of rest, Jung was able to properly build more strength back in his wrist. He was then able to take 15 swings off a tee before the Rangers' eventual 4-2 win over the Astros on Sunday, July 14.

Jung's injury is certainly frustrating -- both for himself and for Rangers fans, as it marks his fourth surgery in four years.

He sustained a stress fracture in his foot in 2021, a torn labrum in his left shoulder in 2022, and finally a broken left thumb in 2023.

Despite his setbacks, to say Jung has been successful at the plate would be an understatement. In 2023, he was named an All-Star and won the World Series, hitting 23 home runs during the historic year for the Rangers.

Prior to the fractured wrist in 2024, he was hitting .412 with a 1.415 OPS.

His current status remains on the 60-day Injured List. In April, his projected recovery was eight-to-10 weeks.

"I'm not back to full strength or anything like that," Jung said recently. "But I'm getting stronger and stronger."