Rangers manager Jeff Banister says third baseman Adrian Beltre will open the regular season on the 10-day disabled list because of a right calf injury (source: Evan Grant via Twitter).

Beltre suffered the injury early in spring training and appeared to over it until he re-aggravated his calf on Sunday. At the time, Beltre said a stay on the DL would be a “last resort” That last resort has now come to pass. 

As for Beltre’s fill-in ... 

Joey Gallo, 23, is one of the top power prospects around. He hasn’t met with much success in limited action at the highest level, but across parts of five minor-league seasons Gallo has slugged a whopping .587 with 152 homers in 485 games. Along the way, he’s generally been younger than the average peer at every stop. He’s also seen time at first base and in left, so he’s not necessarily blocked by a healthy Beltre. 

Speaking of Beltre, the future Hall of Famer is coming off a 2016 season in which he put up an OPS+ of 128 with 32 home runs in addition to his usual excellence with the glove. He’s going into his age-38 season, so quick healing isn’t necessarily to be assumed. The Rangers, though, are hoping Beltre will be ready to be activated as soon as eligible.