Jung was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
It had seemed like Jung had a good chance of making the team after Matt Vierling (shoulder) was ruled out for Opening Day, but the Tigers will make do with the likes of Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibanez at third base while Vierling is sidelined. Jung hit .121 with one home run and a 10:4 K:BB in 37 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Could benefit with Vierling out
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With Matt Vierling (shoulder) set to begin the regular season on the injured list, Jung could have a clearer path to regular playing time at third base, per Joey Johnston of MLB.com.
Jung was already seemingly on top of the depth chart at the hot corner, though he was likely to work in a platoon with Vierling. However, Vierling is dealing with a strained right rotator cuff muscle and will not be ready for Opening Day, so Jung may see a larger share of the playing time in the early going. If the 24-year-old gets off to a hot start, he could lock up the role more firmly for the rest of the year.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Impresses in batting practice
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Jung's wrist is fully recovered from December surgery, and he put on a show during batting practice Saturday by hitting homers out to all fields, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
With Alex Bregman choosing Boston over Detroit and a couple other teams, the third-base job is an open competition between Jung and Matt Vierling this spring. Jung has a chip on his shoulder and reported to camp early to show that he's regained the explosiveness in his swing that was more apparent in 2023. His exit velocities were below expectations last season, but Beck reports those metrics have been on the rise since minicamp in January. Jung mentioned that he did 100 push-ups a day to strengthen the wrist and also put in a lot of time with his brother, Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, working on his footwork at third base. Vierling will make the team regardless, but Jung will likely open the season at Triple-A if he can't win the third-base job in spring training.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Undergoes wrist surgery
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Jung underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure on his right wrist in October, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Jung had been dealing with right wrist inflammation late in the season and the 24-year-old is expected to be ready to go for spring training in February. Jung appeared in 34 games with the Tigers during the 2024 regular season, producing a .241 average with five doubles, three RBI and 14 runs scored over 79 at-bats. Manager A.J. Hinch noted Monday that Jung will be given an opportunity to win a job during spring training, and he'll see work at third base, second base and in the designated hitter slot, per Petzold.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Playing time drying up
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Jung is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays.
Jung has now been absent from the Tigers' lineup for seven of the last 10 games. The rookie has just a .675 OPS and 31.5 percent strikeout rate in his first 31 big-league contests. Zach McKinstry is handling third base Tuesday as manager A.J. Hinch continues to mix and match at the hot corner.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Taking seat Friday
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Jung is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles.
It's the fourth time Jung has been on the bench in the past five games, though two of those contests came against left-handed pitchers. The 23-year-old hasn't helped himself with Detroit making a push for a playoff spot, as he has a .222/.364/.259 slash line through 15 games in September.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Absent from Monday's lineup
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Jung is not in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
Jung will be out of the starting lineup for the third time in four games, and Zach McKinstry will get the start at third base Monday. Jung has gone 5-for-23 with a .640 OPS since the beginning of September.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Not in Sunday's lineup
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Jung is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Jung has a .619 OPS through his first 24 big-league games and is hitting .227 over 22 at-bats in September, and he will head to the bench Sunday as southpaw Cade Povich takes the mound for Baltimore. Andy Ibanez will receive a start at third base and bat leadoff in the series finale.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Not in Friday's lineup
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Jung is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Jung started the previous four games and will receive a day off after going 2-for-9 with three walks, a double and five runs during that span. Matt Vierling will shift to third base while Wenceel Perez receives a start in right field against Baltimore righty Zach Eflin.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: On bench Thursday
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Jung is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Padres.
Jung started in three consecutive games before Thursday's game. In that span, he collected one hit and a walk across 11 plate appearances. Andy Ibanez has the start at third base and is batting second Thursday.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Day off Tuesday
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Jung is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Angels.
Jung collected a pair of hits in back-to-back games for the first time in his young career his last two times out, but he will receive a day of rest Tuesday. Ryan Kreidler will hold down third base for the Tigers.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Sitting down Saturday
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Jung isn't in the Tigers' lineup Saturday against the White Sox.
After going 5-for-24 with an RBI through the first seven games of his MLB career, Jung will get a chance to rest Saturday. Zach McKinstry will take over at third base and bat eighth.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Set for major-league debut Friday
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The Tigers are expected to call up Jung from Triple-A Toledo ahead of Friday's game against the Yankees, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
After being selected in the first round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, Jung began his career in the Tigers organization as a second baseman before making the transition to third base during the 2023 Arizona Fall League. Though he's played both third base and second base at Toledo in 2024, he'll likely supplant Gio Urshela as the Tigers' preferred option at the hot corner as he makes the jump to the big leagues. Jung had been a standout performer at the plate for Toledo this season, slashing .257/.377/.454 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI over 414 plate appearances.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Reinstated from IL at Triple-A
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Triple-A Toledo reinstated Jung (wrist) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Jung went down with right wrist soreness in mid-June but recently returned to action in a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland, going 3-for-10 at the plate across four games. The top prospect has put up an impressive .270/.390/.500 line with 11 home runs over 64 games this season with Toledo. The 23-year-old could be a factor for the Tigers late in the season.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Streaking since returning to play
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Jung (undisclosed) returned to play May 16 for Triple-A Toledo and has a five-game hitting streak.
He missed a week earlier this month with unspecified soreness and is slashing .277/.387/.520 with eight home runs and a 27.5 percent strikeout rate in 182 plate appearances. Jung has played 26 games at third base and 12 games at second base. He could also see some work at designated hitter for the big club, as Jung's defense is seen as the weakest part of his game.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Remains out at Triple-A
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Jung isn't included in Triple-A Toledo's lineup for Sunday's game against St. Paul due to unspecified soreness, Brian Buckley of The Toledo Blade reports.
Jung sat out Saturday's 1-0 win over St. Paul in what was believed to be a rest day, but his absence from the lineup for a second consecutive day implies that he's dealing with a physical issue. The 23-year-old has been one of the top hitters in the Toledo lineup this season, producing a .282/.400/.524 slash line over 155 plate appearances.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Off to solid start at Triple-A
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Through 14 games with Triple-A Toledo, Jung is batting .278 with a .902 OPS, three home runs and 12 RBI.
Making his debut at the Triple-A level, Jung is picking up where he left off at the end of last season, when he batted .286 with a .939 OPS across 47 games with Double-A Erie. The team decided that was enough for a promotion, and his stay in Toledo may be fairly short as well, as the 23-year-old seems to have the tools to be a solid MLB regular in the near future. Gio Urshela has been getting the bulk of the starts at the hot corner in Detroit.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Won't make Opening Day roster
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told Jung on Thursday the infielder will not be part of the Opening Day roster, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
It never really seemed like a consideration, but Hinch apparently wanted to nip the possibility in the bud at the start of camp. Jung slashed .265/.376/.502 with 28 home runs between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie in 2023. He's played only second base in the minors so far, but Jung was used at third base in the Arizona Fall League and that appears to be his long-term home with Colt Keith settling in at the keystone. Detroit has a big hole at the hot corner, so it's possible Jung could push to debut in 2024 if he gets off to a nice start.
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Tigers' Jace Jung: Moving to Double-A
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Jung was promoted from High-A West Michigan to Double-A Toledo on Sunday, Emily Waldon of Baseball America reports.
Jung began the 2023 season with the High-A club and slashed .247/.371/.452 with 13 homers, 45 runs, 40 RBI and five steals over 80 matchups. The 22-year-old played exclusively at second base at West Michigan and will now attempt to continue his success at the Double-A level.
