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Josh Jung Needs to be Added During Hot Streak
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung has been crushing everything coming his way lately. Over the last two weeks, Jung has had 14 hits, two homers, seven RBI, and three walks. Jung is currently slashing .318/.364/.497 with six homers and 25 RBI against right-handed pitching this season. This is the kind of potential that the Rangers were hopeful to get out of Jung this season. The injury bug has kept him down at times, but he's a solid slugger when he's healthy. Jung is on fire at the plate right now and needs to be rostered in most fantasy formats during this hot stretch at the plate.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Ezequiel Duran Re-Emerging as a Must-Roster Fantasy Asset
Across 188 plate appearances so far in 2026, Texas Rangers utility man Ezequiel Duran is hitting .294/.348/.465 with four home runs, 32 RBI, 25 runs scored, and five stolen bases. The 27-year-old has drawn a walk in a career-best 8% of his plate appearances, and he's raised his hard-hit rate from 30.9% in 2025 to 40.6% in 2026. With Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (back) currently on the injured list, Duran has seen everyday playing time at short in recent weeks. While Seager should eventually return to the Rangers lineup, Duran can play basically anywhere on the field other than center field and catcher, which should allow him to maintain consistent playing time. Duran may not offer fantasy managers standout production in any one category. Still, his multi-position eligibility and lack of major weaknesses at the plate make him a useful player to target on the waiver wire.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Josh Jung Emerging as a Waiver Wire Target with Altered Plate Approach
Across 211 plate appearances so far this season, Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung is hitting .307/.365/.474 with six home runs, 22 RBI, 24 runs scored, and one stolen base. The 28-year-old's biggest barrier to success to this point in his career has been health, as he's never played more than 131 games or logged more than 515 plate appearances in a season. However, Jung has managed to stay on the field in 2026 and has established himself as a fixture in the heart of the Rangers' lineup. Jung has also drastically altered his approach at the plate, cutting his strikeout rate from 25.2% in 2025 to 14.7% so far this year. While Jung's improved contact rate makes his .307 batting average more believable, he's seemingly willingly sacrificing power. His current barrel rate of 6.2% is the worst mark of his career and may make it difficult for him to reach 20 homers, even if he stays healthy the rest of the way. Still, Jung has been an impact bat in 2026 and should continue to rack up counting stats as long as he stays on the field. In leagues where he's not already rostered, Jung profiles as a viable waiver wire target.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Ezequiel Duran Back From Illness on Thursday
Texas Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran (illness) is feeling better on Thursday and is back in the starting lineup for the series finale against the visiting Houston Astros, starting at shortstop and batting seventh against Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, according to MLB.com. Duran was pulled from Wednesday's loss to the Astros due to an illness, but he's back in there the very next day. The 27-year-old Dominican utility man doesn't have much power or speed, but he can rack up counting stats for fantasy managers in a variety of roles in Texas like he has been of late. Duran has been serving as the team's primary shortstop with Corey Seager (back) on the injured list, and he'll enter play on Thursday evening with a .279/.333/.456 slash line with a .789 OPS, four home runs, 26 RBI, 22 runs scored, and four steals in 47 games across 163 plate appearances in his fifth year in Texas. He's most valuable in fantasy because he's eligible at first, second, third, shortstop, and the outfield in Yahoo leagues. Duran is hitless in just three career at-bats against Arrighetti.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Ezequiel Duran Exits Early on Wednesday Due to Illness
Texas Rangers utility man Ezequiel Duran (illness) exited early from his team's game against the Houston Astros on Wednesday due to an illness, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Duran was hitless in two plate appearances before leaving the game. The 27-year-old has been a valuable stopgap piece for the Rangers so far this season, hitting .279/.333/.456 with four home runs, 26 RBI, 22 runs scored, and four stolen bases across 163 plate appearances. Duran is capable of lining up all over the field, but he's seen regular playing time at shortstop in recent weeks, with Rangers starting shortstop Corey Seager currently on the 10-day injured list due to a back injury. It does not seem as though Duran is in line for an extended absence. However, should he miss time, infielder/outfielder Michael Helman could be the next man up at shortstop for Texas.
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Source: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
Josh Jung Returns From Shoulder Injury to Face Houston on Tuesday
The Texas Rangers really missed third baseman Josh Jung (shoulder) when they were no-hit by three different pitchers in Monday's loss at Globe Life Field to the Houston Astros. Jung will re-enter the starting lineup for Tuesday's contest against Astros right-hander Jason Alexander after missing the last two games with a left-shoulder injury that he suffered on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels. He is back at third base and will hit cleanup on Tuesday. Fantasy managers will want to get the 28-year-old right-handed slugger back in their lineups in all traditional formats, as the former eighth overall pick out of Texas Tech in 2019 has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball this year. He enters Tuesday's tilt against the Astros with a .302/.357/.462 slash line, .818 OPS, five home runs, 21 RBI, 22 runs, and a steal in 182 at-bats. Jung has only faced Alexander twice in his career, but he has a home run and two RBI against him.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Josh Jung Remains Out on Monday With Shoulder Soreness
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (shoulder) is not in the team's starting lineup for the second straight day due to left-shoulder soreness in Monday's series opener against the visiting Houston Astros, according to MLB.com. Ezequiel Duran is starting at third base and is batting cleanup, while Michael Helman will start at the 6 and hit ninth against Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai. Jung is considered day-to-day after being pulled from Saturday's game in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels due to shoulder soreness. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Tuesday to see if Jung is ready to return to action for Game 2 of the series at Globe Life Field. Injuries have been an issue for the 28-year-old former eighth overall pick in 2019 out of Texas Tech, but the right-handed slugger has made some adjustments at the plate in 2026 and is hitting over .300 with five homers, 21 RBI, 22 runs, and a steal in 182 at-bats. Fantasy managers will be hoping that his minor shoulder injury won't slow him down.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Josh Jung Departs Early with Shoulder Soreness
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (shoulder) was forced to make an early exit from Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Jung was pulled out of the game in the fourth inning due to left shoulder soreness. Before exiting, Jung went 0-for-2 at the plate with a strikeout. Ezequiel Duran shifted over to third base and could see increased playing time over there if Jung misses time. The expectation is that Jung will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. For now, fantasy managers should consider Jung as day-to-day.
Source: Shawn McFarland
Source: Shawn McFarland
Josh Jung a Priority Addition in Fantasy Leagues?
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung has emerged as a high-end waiver wire addition in fantasy baseball as he continues to swing a hot bat. Now in his fifth MLB season, Jung is slashing with a .309/.365/.474 slash line, five home runs, a 7.3% walk rate, a 14.6% strikeout rate, and 138 wRC+. He's posting career-best marks in nearly every offensive category, but his most significant improvement has been the strikeout rate. His 25.2% strikeout rate last year was a career-low, and he's on pace to blow that out of the water with a 14.6% mark so far in 2026. The sample size has been large enough to suggest that he'll be able to maintain his offensive success over a full season. As a result, he's a very intriguing waiver wire target in fantasy baseball. As it stands, Jung is available in 57% of leagues, and he ranks as the #16 third baseman in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Josh Jung Making Massive Improvements in 2026
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung has had a phenomenal season thus far in 2026, slashing .325/.372/.510 with five home runs, 19 runs scored, 20 RBI, and one stolen base through 151 at-bats. He is impacting the ball tremendously, with a 47.6 percent hard-hit rate, 90.4 mph average exit velocity, and also owns a .309 xBA, which is supporting his breakout. Additionally, his plate discipline has improved dramatically, as his career strikeout rate is 26.6 percent, and this year it's down to 15.9 percent. This season, Jung is looking like a new hitter, and it's paying dividends for fantasy managers that are rostering him, especially at the third base position, which is fairly thin in fantasy baseball. Over the past seven days, Jung is slashing .375/.375/.542 with a double and a home run. He is entering must-add territory in all formats based on his consistent production, and if fantasy managers see him on the waiver wire, they should consider adding him to their roster.
Source: Baseball Savant
Source: Baseball Savant
