The Texas Rangers have spent much of the past several months searching for answers about their offense, which is an understandable exercise for a team that has struggled to find consistency at the plate since winning the World Series in 2023. There are plenty of holes to fill, difficult decisions to make and perhaps a few uncomfortable conversations awaiting the front office this offseason.

Josh Jung, however, presents a different sort of dilemma. The Rangers know what he can do with a baseball bat. They're just having an awfully difficult time keeping him on the field long enough to do it.

Jung hit .299 with an .827 OPS in 2026, with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs across 104 games. His batting average and OPS were both career highs, while his .365 on-base percentage represented a substantial improvement over the .294 mark he posted in 2025.

The Production Isn't the Problem

Jung's development offers plenty of reasons for optimism. After hitting .251 with a mediocre .684 OPS in 2025, he returned with a more complete offensive approach, becoming one of the most consistent hitters in a Rangers lineup that was yearning for productive hitters all season long.

Unfortunately, there's a significant qualification attached to Jung's performance: He appeared in just 104 games.

A calf injury cost him 46 games in the second half of the season, and his return offered another demonstration of what Texas had been missing. Jung was exceptional over the stretch run of the season, only to see his campaign cut short once again, this time after being hit by a pitch and fracturing his right hand against the Minnesota Twins in the final series of the year.

He finished the season watching from the dugout, an increasingly familiar conclusion for a player whose major league career has been constantly interrupted by injuries.

Texas Needs More From Jung

Jung's absence isn't an indictment of his preparation or commitment. Getting hit by a pitch is hardly something a player can plan around, and baseball has an unfortunate habit of punishing people for circumstances beyond their control.

But injuries don't become less consequential because they're unfortunate.

Jung has played more than 120 regular-season games only twice, and Texas can't construct an offense around the expectation that one of its most productive hitters will be available for barely two-thirds of the schedule.

That doesn't mean the Rangers should abandon him or rush to replace him. If anything, his performance argues for giving him every opportunity to remain a central part of the lineup.

It does, however, mean that Texas needs reliable alternatives and a plan for managing his workload.

Jung has demonstrated that he can be part of the solution to the Rangers' offensive problems. The challenge now is getting enough opportunities to prove it across an entire season.