Josh Jung DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Dallas Morning News' Shawn McFarland reports that Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (neck) is going on the 10-day injured list on Sunday with neck spasms that kept him from playing in Saturday's win over the visiting Boston Red Sox. Jung also dealt with neck stiffness at the end of spring training and was held out of two exhibition games against the Kansas City Royals on Monday and Tuesday. With infielder Josh Smith (quadriceps) suffering a left-quad contusion on Saturday, the Rangers could be pretty short-handed at the hot corner going into next week. If Smith cannot play on Sunday, expect Ezequiel Duran to start at third against Boston. Jung went 3-for-7 in the first two games of the season and has notable pop from the right side, but so far early in his career, the 27-year-old just hasn't been able to stay on the field. The good news is that the Rangers are hopeful Jung can return when eligible on April 8.

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung is not in the starting lineup on Saturday when the Rangers continue a series against the Boston Red Sox. Jung started at the hot corner in each of the first two games of the series. He went 3-for-7 at the plate and tallied one RBI. Instead, Josh Smith will cover the hot corner and bat in the seven-hole. Fantasy managers should expect Jung to return to the starting nine on Sunday for the final game of the four-game set against Boston. Last season, Jung battled injuries as he only appeared in 46 contests. During that stretch, he went deep seven times and held a .264 AVG. Smith held a .258/.337/.394 slash line with 30 doubles and 13 long balls across 149 games. He should not be targeted in DFS facing Walker Buehler, who will be making his Boston debut.

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (neck) was removed from Friday's win over the visiting Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field early due to neck stiffness, according to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry. Jung's neck stiffened up on him during a play in the field, and he was replaced by Josh Smith. Before leaving, the 27-year-old went 1-for-3 with a single and an RBI. This is concerning for an oft-injured slugger that was also removed from Monday's exhibition game against the Kansas City Royals due to a stiff neck. Although at the time it was considered a precaution, the fact that Jung is still dealing with neck issues is a concern, and it's quite possible it will land him on the injured list. Jung has intriguing power upside at the hot corner in fantasy, but his inability to stay on the field has given him equally as much downside. If he misses additional time, Smith will be the primary beneficiary at third base in Texas.