Rangers' concerns mount following injury setbacks for Max Scherzer and Josh Jung

Just as it seemed the Rangers had begun to get healthier, the injury bug immediately strick right back. While definitely not overly concerning, setbacks for Max Scherzer and Josh Jung still are worrisome for a Texas team trying to stay afloat.

After a 3-1 loss Tuesday night to Milwaukee, the Rangers now sit five games under .500 and haven't really looked like a team that could get back there.

After a brilliant outing Sunday against Kansas City, Rangers fans couldn't help but grow anxious as they watched Max Scherzer explain to Bruce Bochy and Mike Maddux that something felt wrong. In the postgame press conference Scherzer said it was the nerve damage in his finger returning, and that he wasn't sure about how it could affect the future. Though there are no plans to move his next scheduled start on Friday, the thumb issue remains a problem.

As Josh Jung, he was expected to hit live batting practice on Tuesday before the game, but instead he was sent back to Arlington to get further imaging on his wrist, which is not a good sign as wrist injuries can be very nagging. Jung has been out since April 1 with this injury after being hit by a pitch in Tampa.

Jung is invaluable to this team. He creates an energy around the clubhouse that is greatly missed when he isn't playing. Since he was called up in September of 2022, the Rangers are 85-67 (.559) when he plays and 51-64 (.443) when he doesn't — a ridiculous change in team success based solely on one player.

If the Rangers want to stay in this hunt, they need these two guys to be healthy. Their chances of repeating as champs gets slimmer every day, but we will hold out hope that these guys can come back and play big roles for a potential massive second half of the season in Texas.