Detroit Tigers call up former 1st-round pick Jace Jung from Triple-A Toledo for MLB debut

The Detroit Tigers have called up one of their top prospects.

Infielder Jace Jung has been promoted by the Tigers from Triple-A Toledo for his MLB debut, according to sources not at liberty to discuss roster moves publicly. He is set to bat eighth and play third base Friday against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park.

The Tigers selected Jung — the younger brother of Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung — with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Texas Tech.

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The younger Jung, a 23-year-old prospect, has spent the entire 2024 season in Triple-A Toledo, hitting .257 with 14 home runs, 67 walks (16.1% walk rate) and 93 strikeouts (22.4% strikeout rate) across 91 games. He is a below-average defender at third base but an average defender at second base.

Jung, a left-handed hitter who performs better against right-handed pitchers, is ranked as the Tigers' No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline . He also ranks as the No. 64 prospect on MLB Pipeline's top-100 list .

The Tigers transitioned Jung from second base to third base in the Arizona Fall League last season to accommodate for Colt Keith — who suffered a shoulder injury earlier in his career — needing to play second base. Jung has continued to play third base as his primary position in 2024, despite 12 errors in 65 games.

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Aside from Toledo, Jung played four games in Low-A Lakeland at the beginning of July as part of a rehab assignment in return from a right wrist injury . He hit a home run in one of those games, giving him 15 homers in 95 games throughout his third season in the minor leagues.

Jung spent 19 days on the injured list, from June 20-July 8. After recovering, he hit .229 with three home runs and a .706 OPS in his final 27 games in Triple-A Toledo.

He had the best month of his season in June.

In all 91 games, Jung recorded a .235 expected batting average and a 27% whiff rate as a Mud Hen, particularly struggling against offspeed pitches and high-velocity fastballs. He hit .179 with a 34.8% whiff rate on fastballs that registered at least 95 mph.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers call up former 1st-round pick Jace Jung from Triple-A Toledo for MLB debut