Injuries & Moves: Jung, Sborz begin rehab assignments

Injuries & Moves: Jung, Sborz begin rehab assignments

1:53 AM UTC

LATEST NEWS

June 16: UTL and RHP begin rehab assignments
Two important pieces for the Rangers began their final stage of recovery Sunday, with Jung and Sborz starting rehab assignments with Triple-A Round Rock.

Jung, who started at third base, went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored before being lifted in the sixth inning.

Sborz had a tougher time, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while only recording two outs in relief. He threw 20 pitches -- 10 strikes – with his fastball topping out at 95.7 mph.

Jung fractured his right wrist on April 1 and had surgery the next day, which led to a stint on the 60-day injured list.

Previously, Texas manager Bruce Bochy has estimated that they’d want Jung to get around 30 at-bats before returning to the big league club, but Bochy acknowledged how fluid the situation is.

“We’ll kind of monitor how things are going with him, the at-bats, how his body is bouncing back,” Bochy said. “But we don’t have a specific number.”

Sborz, who has been out since May 8 with right shoulder tightness, was scheduled to throw an inning Sunday. Similar to Jung, Bochy didn’t give a specific plan for Sborz in terms of a number of outings before his return.

June 16: RHP recalled from Triple-A Round Rock; RHP designated for assignment
Winn returns to the Rangers for his second stint in the big leagues. He posted a 6.91 ERA across 14 1/3 innings in his first run with Texas, beginning his MLB career with seven scoreless innings. In 15 2/3 innings with Triple-A Round Rock this season, Winn has a 3.45 ERA with 20 strikeouts and four walks.

Tinoco, who made nine appearances for the Rangers since May 23, had a 8.10 ERA in 10 innings before his DFA.

June 16: 3B out of lineup for third straight game
Smith, who is been dealing with hamstring and glute tightness, has come off the bench in three of the Rangers’ first five games on their current road trip, but was out of the starting lineup again Sunday.

“We held up the lineup to see where he’s at, but he’s not quite ready,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said.

Smith is slashing .294/.384/.820 in 68 games this season -- appearing in every game since missing Opening Day -- but acknowledged that he’d been dealing with tightness for about a week.

Bochy said that the Rangers would wait “a couple more days” before starting to think about moving Smith to the injured list, but it's possible "if [Smith] doesn’t make more progress here.”

• All Rangers transactions

10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

RHP (right rotator cuff strain)
Expected return: TBD
Sborz began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on June 16 and allowed two runs on two hits and a walk. He threw 20 pitches (10 strikes) and recorded two outs in his first rehab appearance.

Sborz exited Game 2 of a doubleheader against the A’s on May 8 with right shoulder tightness after throwing eight pitches, seven of which were balls. His velocity was down 3-4 mph across all of his pitches as well. Sborz already spent time on the IL earlier this season with a right rotator cuff strain. (Last updated: June 16)

OF (lower back soreness)
Expected return: July
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said on June 4 that Carter’s back injury is a little worse than they thought. They initially thought lower back tightness for Carter is now being classified as a stress reaction, according to Bochy. The rookie outfielder may miss another month or more as he recovers.

Carter missed seven games from May 11-17 with back soreness, but returned without an IL stint initially. He missed time in the Minors with a stress fracture in his back in 2021, so the Rangers have been cautious with him.

Bochy believes that the injury has been bothering Carter more than he let on, and that’s affected his performance at the plate, where he hit just .095/.156/.143 over his last 15 games. (Last updated: June 4)

60-DAY INJURED LIST

3B (right wrist fracture)
Expected return: Late June
Jung began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on June 16 and went 2-for-3 in his first game. Previously, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that the goal for Jung would be to log 30 at-bats before activating him.

Rangers general manager Chris Young said Jung had successful surgery on his fractured wrist on April 2, but when the surgeon went in for the procedure, Jung's wrist revealed a bit more extensive damage than they were hoping. While the initial timeline after X-rays showed around six weeks of recovery time, after surgery, Jung is looking closer to between eight and 10 weeks, Young said. Jung was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 8.

Jung was removed from the Rangers’ 9-3 win over the Rays on April 1 at Tropicana Field after being hit by a pitch on his right hand as he swung at it. In his first four games of 2024, Jung went 7-for-17 with two walks, one double, one triple and two homers. (Last updated: June 16)

RHP (herniated disk and right thumb soreness)
Expected return: Late June
Scherzer threw 79 pitches in 4 2/3 innings in Triple-A Round Rock's game against Tacoma on June 15, striking out eight. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that if the right-hander felt good after this latest rehab start, it could be his last before getting activated. More >>

Scherzer initially returned earlier than expected from offseason surgery to repair a herniated disk, and even went on one rehab assignment with Round Rock, but thumb soreness and nerve inflammation caused the Rangers to shut him down again. He came back on June 9, then got five days off before making his next start on time.

On May 15, Scherzer said he had been experiencing nerve pain in his right triceps and forearm. He said he had received injections to “calm” the nerve inflammation. (Last updated: June 15)

RHP (right UCL repair surgery)
Expected return: Late July
Mahle threw live batting practice on June 12, and he is scheduled to take a week off before throwing one or two more live BP sessions, after which he will go on a rehab assignment.

Mahle underwent Tommy John surgery when he was with the Twins last May, and the Rangers signed him to a two-year, $22 million deal this offseason. The injury ruined a promising 2023 season with Minnesota, as Mahle posted a 3.16 ERA with 28 strikeouts over five starts. Mahle was officially moved to the 60-day IL at the start of the regular season. (Last updated: June 5)

LHP (lower back strain/stress fracture on rib)
Expected return: June
Bradford has begun throwing from about 120 feet, he said on June 5. The left-hander emphasized that he feels like he’s recovering much better than he was before his most recent shutdown and he should begin long tossing soon.

He originally landed on the injured list with a lower back strain after he was unable to throw a bullpen between starts. The initial plan was for him to miss the minimum 15 days, but after further evaluations, doctors found a “very small” stress fracture on the 12th rib on the right side, according to manager Bruce Bochy. There is still no firm timeline, but Bradford believes he’s well on his way back to the mound.

The 26-year-old lefty had been Texas' best starter on the young season, having gone 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA over his first three starts. (Last updated: June 5)

INF (left oblique strain)
Expected return: TBD
Foscue began a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on June 5. The infielder, who collected his first MLB hit and RBI in the Rangers’ loss to the Astros on April 7, felt something during that swing and was placed on the 10-day injured list the following day. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 13. (Last updated: June 5)

RHP (right knee medial meniscus injury)
Expected return: TBD
In another blow to the Rangers' bullpen depth, Pruitt landed on the injured list after being evaluated at the beginning of the club’s nine-game homestand that started on April 23. He has posted a 12.46 ERA across four relief appearances for Texas this season.

Pruitt was transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 21. (Last updated: May 21)

RHP (right UCL repair surgery)
Expected return: After the All-Star break
deGrom began playing catch on Feb. 12 and resumed again on the first official day of workouts on Feb. 14 -- just under eight months after the surgery to repair a torn right UCL that ended his 2023 season. It was the second similar operation for the 35-year-old deGrom, who had Tommy John surgery following his first professional season in 2010.

General manager Chris Young pointed out that timelines are fluid when it comes to injuries, but he also said the ace is progressing well in his rehab with an eye on returning around August.

deGrom was officially transferred to the 60-day injured list on March 22. (Last updated: March 22)

RHP (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: July
Coleman was selected by the Rangers in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft from the Yankees. He did not pitch in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In 2022, Coleman was named the Eastern League “Reliever of the Year” after going 2-3 with 15 saves and a 2.86 ERA across 35 relief appearances for Double-A Somerset. (Last updated: March 9)

• More injury news