MINNEAPOLIS — If the Rangers do reach the playoffs, a feat that remains in play in the regular season’s final weekend, the final push will have been accomplished without their two best hitters. 

The Rangers placed third baseman Josh Jung on the 10-day injured list with a fractured right hand and recalled catcher Logan O’Hoppe prior to Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Jung fractured his fifth metacarpal when he was struck by right-handed pitcher Joe Ryan’s four-seam fastball in the second inning of Friday’s 10-2 loss. He fell to his knees in pain, remained in the game to run the bases and was removed before his next at-bat. 

It’s unclear how long Jung, who was still with the team Sunday morning, will be sidelined. 

“Right now he’s in a brace,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “I don’t know exactly what that looks like the next couple of days.”

The 28-year-old wouldn’t be able to return until the ALCS at the earliest if the Rangers reach the playoffs and advance that far. They’ll need to play the regular season’s final two games without their two most consistent hitters to do that. Designated hitter Joc Pederson, whose left hand was fractured by a pitch Sept. 12, isn’t eligible for activation until Tuesday. Jung (.827 OPS) and Pederson (.816 OPS) were the most productive of all Rangers players who took at least 400 plate appearances this season. 

“The reality is, we have two games left, and as terrible as this is to say, you have to move on as fast as you can,” Schumaker said. “He’s a good person, a good teammate, a guy that you want, but you’ve heard this before — it is literally the next man up. Guys have to step up.”

Jung has now been placed on the injured list six times in his big league career. Of those six, three were bone breaks, with a fractured thumb three years ago and a fractured wrist two years ago. He’s played in 403 of a possible 648 games (just 62%) over the last four seasons. 

The Rangers also recalled left-handed pitcher Robby Ahlstrom and optioned right-handed pitcher Gavin Collyer in an effort to keep their bullpen fresh for the final two games.