The Texas Rangers placed third baseman Josh Jung on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a right hand fracture.
Jung, 28, was hit by a pitch from Twins starter Joe Ryan in the first inning of Friday’s 10-2 loss. Jung remained in the game and scored, but exited for a pinch-hitter in his next turn at the plate.
Jung finished the regular season batting .299 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs, establishing career bests with 27 doubles and 35 walks. He was on the injured list from July 22 to Sept. 11 with a left calf strain. In 12 games after returning to the lineup, he batted .341 with three home runs and seven RBIs.
“That’s pretty significant,” Schumaker said after Friday’s game. “Him and Joc (Pederson) both with hand fractures or wrist fractures, it’s not ideal at this time of the year. But we’ve still gotta go. We have two games left, and we’ve gotta figure this thing out.”
In other moves, the Rangers recalled left-handed pitcher Robby Ahlstrom and catcher/designated hitter Logan O’Hoppe from Triple-A Round Rock and optioned right-handed pitcher Gavin Collyer to the Arizona Complex League.
This will be the third big league stint for Ahlstrom, 27, this season. He has a 3-1 record with a 6.08 ERA in 42 relief appearances.
O’Hoppe, 26, batted .353 in 10 games (six starts) at DH during his first stint with the club. He was acquired via trade from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline.
Collyer, 25, allowed two runs in two relief innings Friday. He is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 24 relief appearances in four stints with the Rangers this season.
Entering Saturday’s action, the Rangers were tied with the Houston Astros for the American League West lead and battling for a postseason berth with two games left in the regular season. The Astros hold the tiebreaker over the Rangers with a 9-4 record in head-to-head games this season.
