What are Rangers missing from Gallo as much as his power?

All signs seem to be pointing toward Joey Gallo being activated Tuesday from the seven-day concussion list, assuming the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are actually able to open their three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

But that’s the plan as Hurricane Harvey soaks the region and is forecast to linger for days in Southeast Texas, and as the clouds continue to burn off for Gallo after his collision Sunday with Matt Bush.

That’s good news, because the Rangers miss his presence in the lineup. It’s not just the home-run threat, either.

Gallo has been an on-base machine in the second half, reaching in 37 percent of his plate appearances, and the offense has missed that in going 3-2 without him. The Rangers have scored one run in each loss despite collecting nine hits in each.

“The idea is getting as many base runners on as you can, and he’s been really good at connecting at-bats,” manager Jeff Banister said. “He’s given guys behind him a chance to drive him in and bring the next player into the batter’s box. Those are all key. They’re huge. You need those connecting at-bats.”

Gallo took batting practice on the field Saturday for the third straight day and said that he hasn’t felt any of the fogginess or other symptoms of a concussion since joining the team Wednesday in Anaheim.

He recognizes the difficulty in simulating game speed, but he’s doing the same work in the cages and on the field to try to keep the timing and rhythm he had before the collision that left him with a crack in his nose.

“I’m trying to get in baseball shape,” said Gallo, who leads the team with 35 home runs. “We’ll see. It takes a little bit to get it back. It’s working in the cage and on the field again to get that feel and rhythm and timing. I don’t think it’ll take long, but it might take a game or two.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 2:15 PM with the headline "What are Rangers missing from Gallo as much as his power?."