Gallo injury brings Calhoun back to Rangers. Will he turn this stint into permanent stay?
Shortly before he entered an operating room Thursday in Dallas, Joey Gallo said that he was relieved to finally know what has been bothering him the past week or so.
The surgery to remove a broken right hamate bone will cost the Texas Rangers center fielder at least a month, probably more, and that won’t help the Rangers as they cling to their ever-diminishing playoff hopes.
Gallo hit the injured list before the Rangers opened a four-game series against the Oakland A’s to cap a 10-game road trip in which they were 1-5. Willie Cahoun, stunned last week when sent to Triple A Nashville, rejoined the roster.
While the Gallo injury is a blow — “It sucks,” manager Chris Woodward said — the door has again been opened for Calhoun to give the Rangers an extended taste of what he can do for them.
Calhoun did not start Thursday night at Oakland Coliseum against A’s left-hander Brett Anderson, but the expectation is the lefty-hitting Calhoun will be in the lineup the rest of the series against three A’s right-handed starters.
He had trouble expressing the magnitude of the situation, perhaps because he doesn’t want put that on his shoulders.
But it stands to be his longest stretch of steady playing time to date and the chance, one and for all, to cement himself as a must-have on the Rangers’ roster.
“I feel like every opportunity really is, but at the same time I’d say it seems so,” Calhoun said. “I don’t know how to take this opportunity different than the other ones.
“But losing a guy like Joey, he was, obviously, an All-Star this year, so that’s a lot to fill his shoes. I’m just going to do my own thing, and if it happens it happens.”
It happened in June, when Calhoun made his season debut after Elvis Andrus was placed on the injured list. Calhoun homered in his first two games, and batted .435 and posted a 1.197 OPS in his first six games before he hit the IL with a strained left quadriceps.
Calhoun entered Thursday batting .277 with five homers and an .802 OPS. He went 3 for 11 (.273) with two doubles and seven walks in four games with Nashville after he was demoted July 16.
At the time, general manager Jon Daniels said that the team was convinced more than ever that Calhoun can be an everyday MLB player.
Woodward said that Calhoun was the clear choice to replace Gallo, though Nashville outfielder Scott Heineman is making a case for his MLB debut.
“The second we had a chance to get Willie back, I wanted him,” Woodward said. “He deserves it.”
Woodward expects Gallo to be out at least four weeks but won’t be surprised if it takes longer because of the violent swing he has. New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton missed three months in 2015 with the same injury while with the Miami Marlins.
The injury has been bothering Gallo since at least last weekend at Houston, Woodward said. Gallo left the game Tuesday at Seattle and did not play Wednesday in the series finale.
He visited hand specialist Dr. Thomas DiLiberti, who performed the operation.
“I’m not surprised after what I saw,” Woodward said. “He’s had some nagging things this year and always tried to play through them. After that game, it was, ‘Hey, Woody, it’s killing me. It really hurts.’ I knew it was something more.”
Gallo’s batting average has plunged 23 points to .252 since he played in his first All-Star Game on July 9. He was only 4 for 34 (.118) with two homers and 19 strikeouts to open the second half.
He was also on the IL from June 2-25 with a left oblique strain.
The Rangers expect that Gallo will play again this season, but they will be cautious.
“We’ve got to make sure it’s 100 percent, because I don’t want to see a half a Joey Gallo hitting the ball,” Woodward said. “There’s no reason to try to rush it back and have him not be 100 percent.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2019 at 8:01 PM.
