13 Joey Gallo LF

Gallo went 1-for-4 with another solo home run in a 7-5 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old did the same Tuesday night, going deep with nobody on base in a loss to the Pirates. This was his third straight game with a homer, and Gallo now has 11 bombs this year. Behind that total, he has 16 extra-base hits, propelling him to an impressive .692 slugging percentage. Gallo is also hitting .264 with 26 RBI and 21 runs in 91 at-bats this season.

Gallo went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and three walks in a 6-4 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old smashed a homer to the upper deck off Felipe Vazquez, which is quite an accomplishment considering Vazquez had yet to yield a run this year before the blast. Gallo also showcased a great eye, posting a season-high three walks. He racked up the walks and homers in March and April, recording 21 free passes and 10 bombs during the first five weeks of the year. Behind those totals, Gallo is slashing .264/.404/.678 with 15 extra-base hits, 25 RBI and 20 runs in 109 plate appearances this season.

Gallo is not in Sunday's lineup, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Gallo had started 11 days in a row but will retreat to the bench Sunday against the Mariners. He will receive two days off, as the Rangers do not begin their next series until Tuesday against the Pirates. Gallo has hit the ball well to begin the season, the most notable portion of his stat-line being his improved .259 batting average.

Gallo went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored Tuesday in the Rangers' 11-5 loss to the Athletics.

Fresh off being named the American League Player of the Week, Gallo continued to be a nuisance to opposing pitchers while reaching base four times in five plate appearances. Drawing walks are nothing new for Gallo, but thanks to an improved contact rate and an elevated .371 BABIP, he's been a surprising asset in batting average (.300) in the early going. Gallo probably can't be counted on to hang anywhere close to the .300 mark over the balance of the season, but the career .209 hitter still has plenty of wiggle room to surpass expectations in that category.

Gallo was named the American League Player of the Week, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Gallo hit .478 (11-for-23) with four home runs and 11 RBI over six games, placing him second in the AL with 22 RBI and tied for fourth with eight homers. The slugger credits changes he made during the offseason, bringing his hands closer to his body, enabling him to better handle inside pitches. "Staying inside the ball and keeping my hands as tight as I can has been important," Gallo said. "It's something I worked on all winter. Last year, I'd hit those balls, but I couldn't keep them fair. I'd hit them hard, but smoke them into the dugout, which makes things interesting, but it's not ideal. Being able to keep them fair is a big change." The honors came after a week during which Gallo went 0-for-13 with eight strikeouts and failed to reach base via a walk. That Gallo stuck with the process after that stretch of futility and didn't revert back to what was comfortable is a good sign.