Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo took a swing during his at-bat in the fifth inning Saturday and immediately grabbed his left side. He didn't even finish the at-bat and left the game. Uh oh. The team placed him on the injured list Sunday with a left oblique strain:
Joey Gallo has been placed on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain. OF Delino DeShields recalled from Nashville.
— John Blake (@RangerBlake) June 2, 2019
Losing Gallo, even if it's only for a few weeks, is a huge blow to the Rangers. Earlier Saturday, he clubbed his 17th homer of the year:
Your daily 400+ ft. #JoeyJack! pic.twitter.com/A8Y93cu9Yh
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) June 1, 2019
In 214 plate appearances this season, the 25-year-old Gallo is hitting .276/.421/.653 with 11 doubles, a triple, 17 homers, 41 homers, 41 RBI and three steals. The Rangers have even been playing him in center field.
The Rangers, at 29-27, are in second place in the AL West and entered Sunday in possession of the American League's second wild card spot. Gallo has very clearly been their best position player, so losing him for any number of games would be a tough break.
Delino DeShields is heading back to the Rangers to man center field. For whatever it's worth, DeShields is 9 for 24 (.375) with a double and homer in his five games since going back down leading into Saturday.
As for Gallo, this could be a real bummer. He's having a huge breakout season and has been deserving of your vote to start in the All-Star Game. Not only that, but the Home Run Derby winner gets a million bucks this year. The All-Star week has the chance to be The Joey Gallo Show. Hopefully he's healthy by then.
