SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Rangers are tracking toward having their full starting lineup available for the first time this spring to start the week.
And, if all goes well, manager Skip Schumaker expects to have the lineup all ready for Opening Day.
Third baseman Josh Jung, dealing with an adductor muscle strain in his thigh, took six plate appearances off Cody Bradford, Jalen Beeks and Carter Baumler on a back field Saturday. Next step: Another 6-8 at-bats in a minor league game Sunday and then play Monday against the Chicago White Sox.
Catcher Kyle Higashioka, who hasn’t played since March 5 because of back stiffness, is also expected to return Monday. Higashioka caught two innings worth of live pitching in the back field session and took a pair of plate appearances against Beeks.
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Also: Justin Foscue, out since Feb. 23, took six plate appearances during the session. Foscue, however, isn’t expected to be a candidate for the Opening Day roster, not because of injury but because of the lack of a role.
All three have had few game reps this spring. Jung hasn’t played since Feb. 24 and has just six at-bats this spring, though he was hitting the ball hard before he was hurt. Higashioka had just 11 at-bats; Foscue had seven.
Jung said he was confident he’d be ready for Opening Day and cited previous experience in getting ready for spring training quickly. In 2024, he missed all but the last three exhibition games with a calf injury, but started the opener.
“It’s been done before,” Jung said Saturday. “I’m further along now than I was with my calf. … I don’t think I need much [game experience]. It was more just getting the soreness to dissipate and then building back up.”
Jung has been able to take ground balls and run, but the adductor muscle had flared up as he used a new setup where his back foot made firmer contact with the ground.
“It should be enough,” Schumaker said. “But I also don’t want him to push so hard that he goes backwards trying to make an opening day roster. So there’s a fine line. He feels really good. He’s in the right headspace right now, which is great because you can see him laughing and smiling again and not worried about what this feels like or looks like anymore. So hopefully we keep trending that way.”
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