Gallo exits early with twisted ankle. How soon does he expect to return to Rangers’ lineup?

Joey Gallo hopes to play Saturday even though twisted his left ankle Friday night while swinging for an RBI single in the Texas Rangers’ 7-6 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Gallo homered in the seventh and batted again with two outs in the eighth. He sent a broken-bat single into center field to trim the Giants’ lead to 6-4.

But as fans either watched the ball squirt into the outfield or the barrel of the bat fly toward first base, Gallo went down in the batter’s box and then hobbled badly to first base.

After a visit from athletic trainer Kevin Harmon, Gallo left the game and was replaced by Carlos Tocci. Manager Jeff Banister said that Gallo is day-to-day, but Gallo believes he could play Saturday.

X-rays were negative, and Gallo wasn’t wearing a protective boot or using crutches. He wasn’t even limping.

“It definitely looked a lot nastier than it feels now,” Gallo said. “I’m lucky I have very flexible ankles. That definitely helped me out in that situation.”

Gallo started in center field and made several plays on the new turf at AT&T Park following an Ed Sheeran concert Wednesday that destroyed much of the outfield grass. However, he avoided slipped on any loose turf and any seams between the strips of sod.

It was the batter’s box that grabbed him.

The Rangers play Saturday afternoon, and the quick turnaround might not give Gallo’s ankle enough time to mend. Derek Holland pitches Sunday afternoon for the Giants, and the left-on-left matchup might be enough to keep Gallo on the bench if his ankle is still sore.