Texas Rangers top prospect Joey Gallo made his MLB debut on June 2 and he hasn't looked back since. The 21-year-old is batting .300/.391/.625 in 11 games so far and is making a strong case to remain with the team once third baseman Adrian Beltre returns from the disabled list.
General manager Jon Daniels said Gallo's promotion was for the short-term as the team waits 2-3 weeks for Beltre's dislocated/lacerated thumb to heal. Gallo has never played a game above the Double-A level until this month and yet he's displayed his ability to handle MLB-level pitching. He's 12-for-40 with four home runs and seven RBIs in 46 plate appearances.
As Texas (33-30) continues to climb up the AL West standings, where just a month ago they were 15-21 and five games behind the first-place Houston Astros, keeping Gallo on the 25-man roster has almost certainly crossed the mind of Daniels. However, service-time considerations will probably play a role and they could prevent the Rangers from keeping him under club control and at a cost-effective rate for as long as they'd like.
"If Gallo were to spend the remainder of the season, he would have 125 days of service time and be in line for arbitration eligibility after the 2017 season," writes Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. "The chances of Gallo having his arbitration eligibility pushed back to 2018 will increase if he returns to the minors when regular third baseman Adrian Beltre comes off the disabled list, as general manager Jon Daniels has said is the plan."
But, as we know in the MLB, plans are never set in stone.
"He has already earned respect from other American League teams because they're not throwing him many fastballs," writes ESPN's Jean-Jacques Taylor. "Entering Sunday's game, pitchers had thrown Gallo only 35.3 percent fastballs, the league's lowest percentage. Oakland's Brett Lawrie was second at 47.6."
Granted, it's a small sample, but it's still a notable statistic.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News thinks Gallo could be in line for a position change because he's been so valuable to the Rangers' lineup. Outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. injured his left hamstring on Sunday and could miss some time while the team recalled infielder Rougned Odor from Triple-A Round Rock.
"What happens in the interim is that Gallo could end up in left field for a short time, which might also open a path for him to remain in the majors long-term after Adrian Beltre returns from the DL," Grant posited.
"Without DeShields, the Rangers only outfield option currently on the roster is Jake Smolinski, who is hitting .138 for 58 at-bats for the season. The more attractive option would be Ryan Rua, but he is still working his way back from an early season injury and entered Sunday hitting .190 in 21 at-bats at Triple-A Round Rock. Gallo toyed with the outfield in instructional league and it has often been discussed that he could eventually end up there."
The team experimented moving Gallo to the outfield last season and it became more of a reality after Daniels opted to pick up Beltre's team option for the 2016 season back in February. Being that it's unlikely the team trades Beltre to make room for Gallo, keep an eye out for the prospect to make the move to left field if he continues to perform as Beltre nears the end of his DL stint.
"... For now, the plan remains for Gallo to play for Triple-A Round Rock whenever Beltre returns to the lineup. Gallo's job is to make that decision as difficult as possible for the Rangers," added Taylor.
"It's hard for any GM to send players who regularly hit 400-foot homers to the minor leagues."
