The Texas Rangers lost third baseman Josh Jung less than a week into the 2024 season. The 2023 All Star is not expected back until late June or early July. One would expect that the absence of a player like Jung would be a significant blow to a team, and in fact, many folks pointed to Jung’s absence when the Rangers offense was having issues earlier this year.
In reality, though, Jung’s replacement has done an admirable job of filling in for him. Josh Smith has stepped in and put up a 149 wRC+ in 132 plate appearances so far this season.