Joey Gallo

Joey Gallo Joins Rangers Camp After Negative COVID-19 Tests

By Mark Polishuk | July 11, 2020 at 10:11pm CDT

Joey Gallo joined his Rangers teammates in Summer Camp activities Friday after the slugger passed two COVID-19 tests. Gallo originally tested positive for the coronavirus back on June 29, albeit in somewhat unusual circumstances.

As Gallo told the Associated Press and other media, he twice tested positive for the virus after taking the saliva test, while a swab test in between those two positive results produced a negative diagnosis. He never had any symptoms, leaving Gallo rather unsure as to whether or not he actually had COVID-19, and he said he is “now on edge” whenever he has to take another saliva test.

Regardless, Gallo was given the green light for Summer Camp activities in the wake of his two-week quarantine and subsequent negative testing, putting him potentially on track to be part of the Rangers’ Opening Day lineup. Texas begins play on July 24, making it almost exactly one year since Gallo’s last appearance in a big league game, as a fractured hamate bone resulted in the end of his 2019 season.

Between the hamate fracture and an oblique strain, Gallo was limited to only 70 games, though he made the most of his playing time by hitting .253/.389/.598 with 22 homers in 297 plate appearances. This performance earned Gallo his first All-Star appearance.

Joey Gallo Tests Positive For COVID-19

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | July 6, 2020 at 2:27pm CDT

Rangers slugger Joey Gallo has tested positive for COVID-19, general manager Jon Daniels tells reporters (Twitter link via Levi Weaver of The Athletic). Gallo initially tested positive back on June 29, per Daniels. And while he had one negative test in the days thereafter, a second and more recent test again came back positive. Gallo is presently asymptomatic, thankfully, but he’ll need two consecutive negative tests, with more than 24 hours separating them, before he’s cleared to report to Rangers Summer Camp.

Gallo’s most recent test on July 2 came back negative yesterday, per Weaver, so despite the fact that he’s not showing symptoms at the moment, it appears he’ll be out at least several more days. Gallo joins lefty reliever Brett Martin as the Rangers’ second known positive test case. Martin, who is diabetic, tested positive last week and has been showing what the team termed “mild” symptoms.

The 26-year-old Gallo has emerged as the centerpiece of the Rangers lineup. The 26-year-old turned in consecutive 40+ home run seasons in 2017 and 2018 before reaching new heights in an injury-shortened 2019 campaign. In 297 plate appearances last year, he swatted 22 long balls and posted a .253/.389/.598 batting line — all while delivering highly rated glovework in center and left field.

Needless to say, the Texas organization is hopeful that Gallo will knock out his infection and make it into Summer Camp soon. If all goes well, he won’t exhibit any deleterious reaction and could perhaps even ready for the start of the 2020 season.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: American League

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | January 10, 2020 at 7:00pm CDT

Entering the day, there were more than 150 players on the clock to exchange arbitration figures with their respective teams prior to a noon ET deadline. As one would expect, there’ll be an utter landslide of arbitration agreements in advance of that deadline. We already ran through some key facts and reminders on the arbitration process earlier this morning for those who are unfamiliar or simply need a refresher on one of MLB’s most complex idiosyncrasies, which will hopefully clear up many questions readers might have.

We’ll track the majority of the American League’s settlements in this post and split off a separate one for NL settlements as well. Note that all projections referenced come courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz:

Newly acquired Angels righty Dylan Bundy receives a $5MM salary, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter links). He had projected at a $5.7MM price tag. Teammate Hansel Robles gets $3.85MM, per Heyman, just shy of his $4MM projection.
The Yankees have worked out deals with all of their eligible players. The team has a hefty $8.5MM pact with Aaron Judge, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). Backstop Gary Sanchez settled for $5MM, per Feinsand (via Twitter). The New York org will pay righty Luis Cessa $895K and Jonathan Holder $750K, Murray reports (Twitter links). Fellow reliever Tommy Kahnle will earn $2.65MM, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). And star lefty James Paxton has settled at $12.5MM, Heyman adds via Twitter. Chad Green and Jordan Montgomery have also agreed to terms, the former at $1.275MM and the latter at $805K, per Heyman (Twitter links).
The Twins announced that they struck deals with Trevor May, Taylor Rogers, Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton. Jon Heyman of MLB Network followed up with salary terms (all links to Twitter). May earns $2,205,000; Rogers takes home $4.45MM; Rosario lands at $7.75MM; and Buxton receives $3.075MM. While the first and last of those land rather close to the projected amount, Rogers got $550K more and Rosario got $1.15MM less than the calculators predicted.
Shortstop Carlos Correa settled with the Astros for $8MM, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (via Twitter). Righty Brad Peacock lands at a $3.9MM salary, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The former went for more than his $7.4MM projection, while the latter ended up shy of the $4.6MM mark produced by the computers. The ’Stros also have agreed with closer Roberto Osuna as well, per an announcement. It’s a $10MM deal, slotting in just $200K shy of his projection, per Rome (via Twitter).
The Orioles have a deal with outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. It’s for $4.75MM, per Dan Connolly of The Athletic (via Twitter), well south of the $5.7MM projection.
Outfielder Jorge Soler has agreed to a $7.3MM deal with the Royals, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets. That’s well off of the $11.2MM that MLBTR’s model projected, though it is likely that the cause of the gulf lies in the interpretation of the correct baseline to start from in building Soler’s salary. He’s in the 4+ service class but had been playing on the original deal he signed out of Cuba.
The Tigers have a deal in place with southpaw Matthew Boyd, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). It’ll pay him $5.3MM, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (Twitter link). That falls comfortably below the $6.4MM, suggesting that Boyd’s camp was concerned with the way his suboptimal ERA would play in the arb process. Fellow lefty starter Daniel Norris will earn $2.96MM, McCosky tweets.

Earlier Settlements

Carlos Rodon ($4.45MM) and Nomar Mazara ($5.56MM) each have deals with the White Sox, per Robert Murray (Twitter links). The former was projected at $4.5MM after an injury limited season, making for an expectedly light raise on his $4.2MM salary from the prior campaign. The latter, recently acquired from the Rangers, comes in just under the $5.7MM the MLBTR model projected. The Chicago organization also announced that it has agreed to terms with infielder Leury Garcia for $3.25MM and righty Evan Marshall for $1.1MM.
The Angels have a $900K deal in place with righty Noe Ramirez, per Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
Recently acquired Indians outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. will play for $1.875MM, per Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
Tigers outfielder JaCoby Jones will play for $1.575MM, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).
Righty Buck Farmer will earn $1.15MM from the Tigers, Robert Murray reports on Twitter.

The Rays will pay righty Oliver Drake $1.025MM, according to Murray (via Twitter). Infielder Daniel Robertson will play for the same rate, per John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).
The White Sox signed closer Alex Colome to a one-year deal worth $10.5325MM, tweets Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. A free agent next winter, Colome had been projected to earn $10.3MM. Chicago also settled at $1.1MM with righty Evan Marshall, per Robert Murray. He was projected at $1.3MM.
Infielder Gio Urshela and the Yankees agreed to a $2.475MM that tops his $2.2MM projection, tweets Murray.
The Rangers agreed to deals with Joey Gallo ($4.4MM) and Danny Santana ($3.6MM), Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports (Twitter links). Murray adds that righty Rafael Montero gets $785K from Texas. Gallo bested his $4MM projection, while Santana fell shy of his $3.9MM projection and Montero cam in south of his $900K number.
Right-hander Nick Wittgren and the Indians are in agreement on a one-year, $1.125MM deal that checks in a bit south of his $1.3MM projection, per Murray.
The Mariners agreed to terms with outfielders Mitch Haniger ($3.01MM) and Mallex Smith ($2.35MM), tweets Murray. Haniger’s salary is a near-exact match with his $3MM projection, though Smith clocks in a bit south of his $2.7MM figure.
Right-hander Chris Devenski and the Astros settled on a $2MM salary that aligns perfectly with his $2MM projected salary, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.
The Angels and infielder Tommy La Stella agreed to a $3.25MM deal that tops his $2.9MM projection, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Orioles infielder Hanser Alberto will be paid $1.65MM in 2020, tweets Joe Trezza of MLB.com. He was projected at $1.9MM.
The Twins and right-hander Tyler Duffey agreed to a $1.2MM deal, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 SKOR North radio. That’s $100K north of his $1.1MM projection in the first of three trips through arbitration.
Southpaw Andrew Heaney and the Angels agreed on a $4.3MM salary, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. That’s quite a bit shy of the flat $5MM he was projected to earn on the heels of an injury-shortened campaign. A Super Two player, Heaney will be arb-eligible once more next winter.
Infielder/outfielder Chad Pinder and the Athletics settled on a one-year, $2.025MM deal, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. That tops the $1.8MM at which he was projected in his first year of eligibility.
The Orioles and righty Mychal Givens settled at $3.225MM, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. It’s nearly a dead match with the $3.2MM projection of Givens, who’ll be arbitration-eligible once more next winter before hitting free agency after the 2021 season.
Outfielder Hunter Renfroe and the Rays agreed to a $3.3MM deal, tweets Nightengale. That checks in $100K south of the $3.4MM projection for Renfroe, who’ll be arb-eligible three more times.
Nightengale also tweets that the Blue Jays and Matt Shoemaker agreed to a $4.2MM contract, topping his $3.8MM projection by a sum of $400K. He’ll be a free agent next winter.
The Indians and outfielder Tyler Naquin settled at $1.45MM, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He falls shy of his $1.8MM projection in the first of three trips through arb.
Righty Matt Barnes and the Red Sox have agreed to a $3.1MM deal, also via Feinsand. He was projected to earn $3MM as a second-time-eligible player. Nightengale adds that right-hander Heath Hembree and the Sox agreed to a $1.6125MM deal, which nearly matches his $1.6MM projection.
The Rays and righty Tyler Glasnow agreed to a $2.05MM salary for the upcoming season, MLBTR has learned. That salary clocks in north of his $1.9MM projection. As a Super Two player, Glasnow will be eligible for arbitration thrice more.
The Angels have agreed to a one-year pact with right-hander Keynan Middleton that’ll pay him $800K, tweets Robert Murray. That’s an exact match with the projection for Middleton, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 but returned to the mound in 2019.
Righty Sam Tuivailala and the Mariners agreed to an $800K salary for the upcoming season, tweets Murray. He was projected to earn $900K after returning from 2018 surgery to repair a tear in his Achilles tendon.

AL Notes: Pressly, Tanaka, Gallo

By Dylan A. Chase | October 19, 2019 at 10:03pm CDT

Astros relief ace Ryan Pressly was removed from tonight’s Game Six action after apparently re-aggravating his balky right knee while fielding a ball in the third inning. It was enough surely to make the Houston faithful hold their collective breath, since Pressly missed several weeks after having that same knee surgically repaired in August. For the time being, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart relays that the righty is day-to-day with “right knee discomfort” (link).

With tonight’s game still hanging in the balance, it’s tough to know whether that “day-to-day” designation might be a moot point, as a win this evening would allow the reliever a few days to heal in advance of the World Series’ first game on Tuesday. Placement on the injured list, however, would likely force the team to turn to Wade Miley for their Fall Classic roster, who was left off the team’s ALCS roster after giving up two earned runs in a 2.2 IP appearance in the ALDS. The superlative Pressly pitched to a 2.32 ERA (2.66 FIP) in 54.1 innings in the 2019 regular season.

More notes from around the American League…

In other ALCS-related news, Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated that Masahiro Tanaka should be available for a potential Game 7 scenario, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (link). Tanaka, much-hyped heading into Game 4 due to his impressive postseason resume to that point, ground through a five-inning, three-run performance on Thursday night.
How much is a home run worth, really? That’s a question that has become du jour in modern baseball, as the prevalence of longballs has seemed to diminish the on-field value–and off-field earning power–of power hitters like Joey Gallo of the Rangers. But, as Levi Weaver of The Athletic points out, Gallo is a player for whom it would be particularly difficult to draw up a contract extension. Gallo, the only player in MLB history to hit his 100th career homer before his 100th career single, presents a vexing extension case: he’s still young (26 on Opening Day 2020), unconventionally productive (recording a 144 wRC+ in 2019 despite a 38.4% strikeout rate), and he’s dealt with injury concerns (missing 92 games this past season with wrist issues). Perhaps, more than anything, Gallo’s meaty home run totals project to make him an expensive year-over-year arbitration case, further fueling the incentive to get a long-term deal done on the Rangers side of the negotiating table. In a courageous effort to pinpoint Gallo’s value, Weaver proposes a five-year, $85MM extension, perhaps with a sixth team option year valued at $25MM. For what it’s worth, the slugger is projected to earn $4.0MM in his first pass through arb this offseason, according to MLBTR’s projected arbitration models.

AL West Notes: Correa, McHugh, Gallo, Pence, La Stella

By Connor Byrne | September 25, 2019 at 12:10am CDT

Checking in on a few AL West clubs…

The Astros made shortstop Carlos Correa a late scratch for their game Tuesday after he complained of tightness in his lower back, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Considering how important Correa is to the World Series contenders’ cause, not to mention his history of back issues, it looked like a startling development for the club. Manager A.J. Hinch brushed off concerns about Correa’s status, though, saying: “It sounds a lot worse than what it seems like it is. But when you make a proactive move there’s going to be some sense of curiosity as to what it is. But it is very important for us to be smart this week.”
While Correa appears to be fine, teammate Collin McHugh continues to look as if he’s done for the season. The Astros halted the right-hander’s throwing program last week after a setback with his injured elbow, and he still hasn’t resumed throwing, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets. With that in mind, we may have seen McHugh take the mound in a Houston uniform for the last time. The sixth-year Astro is set to become a free agent after the season. Overall, the year has been an injury-riddled disappointment for McHugh, but he has rebounded as a reliever after beginning 2019 in disastrous fashion as a starter.
It’s “fairly evident” Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo won’t play again this season, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Gallo, who has been out since June 24 with a right hamate fracture, hasn’t swung a bat during the recovery process. With the season just about over for the eliminated Rangers, there’s no sense in rushing the star slugger back. Meanwhile, designated hitter Hunter Pence is definitely done for the year, Wilson relays. The Rangers have also had to go for a while without Pence, whom a back injury has shelved for just over a month. While the soon-to-be 37-year-old Pence wants to return to the Rangers in 2020, it’s unclear how motivated they’ll be to re-sign the pending free agent.
After an arduous recovery from the fractured right tibia he suffered July 2, it appears Angels infielder Tommy La Stella will make it back this season. Assuming La Stella gets through a base-running session unscathed on Wednesday, he could see time at DH during the Angels’ season-ending series against Houston, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports. La Stella’s devastating injury came shortly before what would have been the 30-year-old’s first All-Star appearance – an honor he earned thanks to a .300/.353/.495 line and a career-high 16 home runs in 312 plate appearances.

Rangers Select Tim Federowicz, Transfer Joey Gallo To 60-Day IL

By Connor Byrne | September 20, 2019 at 6:15pm CDT

The Rangers have selected the contract of catcher Tim Federowicz from Triple-A Nashville, the team announced (Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was first to report the move). They transferred slugger Joey Gallo to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster room for Federowicz. Gallo, on the IL since July 24 with a fractured right hamate bone, might be done for the season.

The 32-year-old Federowicz joined the Rangers in a June trade with the Indians. He then totaled 79 plate appearances and posted a subpar .169/.224/.366 line with four home runs in Texas before the team booted him from its 40-man roster on the last day of July. Federowicz wasn’t any better as a member of the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, with whom he batted .140/.190/.193 and hit a single homer in 63 attempts, but the well-traveled veteran did put up a playable line with the Indians’ top minor league club prior to the trade (.278/.353/.411, two HRs in 103 PA).

Joey Gallo Might Not Return In 2019

By Steve Adams | September 18, 2019 at 5:01pm CDT

While Rangers slugger Joey Gallo was eyeing a Sept. 20 return to the lineup, that’s no longer a realistic return date, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. The Rangers aren’t certain that Gallo will make it back to the team at all before season’s end, he adds. Gallo has been out for nearly two months since fracturing his hamate bone in late July. The initially projected timeline of roughly six weeks has come and gone, but Gallo is still experiencing discomfort in his hand and lacking in grip strength, per Grant.

If Gallo’s season has indeed come to a close, it’ll go down as a strong year even in spite of the lengthy injury absence. The 25-year-old launched 22 home runs in just 297 plate appearances this season while posting a career-best 17.5 percent walk rate. Gallo’s 38.4 percent strikeout rate is still among the highest in the league, and he’s unlikely to repeat the .368 average on balls in play that helped buoy his overall batting line to .253/.389/.598. Even with some regression in terms of his batting average (and, inherently, his on-base percentage), Gallo should still be an above-average offensive producer and among the league’s top power threats again in 2020.

Perhaps the most encouraging development for Gallo and the Rangers, though, came on the defensive side of the coin. Gallo spent the entire season not just in the outfield but in center field for a large portion of his time on the active roster (309 innings). He’s previously turned in sub-par defensive ratings in left field but drew plus marks both there and in center field from metrics such as Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average. If Gallo is able to hack it as even a passable defensive center fielder, the combination of average or better glovework at a premium position and his virtually unrivaled raw power would make him an extremely valuable all-around player — gaudy strikeout rate and potentially low-.200s average notwithstanding.

Gallo will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and should be well served by the 110 home runs he’s already amassed in his young big league career. He’s under team control through the 2022 season, though Texas could certainly explore the idea of working out a longer-term contract with Gallo this coming winter. The two sides have talked extension in the past, but there’s been no indication of any 2019 talks to this point.

AL West Notes: Luzardo, Sanchez, Gallo, Santana

By Mark Polishuk | September 15, 2019 at 11:05pm CDT

Jesus Luzardo’s second Major League appearance resulted in his first career save, as the star Athletics rookie allowed a run on two hits and two walks over three innings of work in Oakland’s 6-1 win over the Rangers today. Luzardo has tossed three innings in each of his two MLB games, both times coming directly after a starter (Brett Anderson on Wednesday after five innings, and Sean Manaea after six innings today). Should the A’s reach the postseason, there’s certainly a case that Luzardo could serve as either a multi-inning reliever or even as a proper starter. “That gives us a little pause for thought about how we potentially might do things down the road,” A’s manager Bob Melvin told reporters, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser. “Obviously, we have to get there, a lot of work between then and now. But you definitely think of some options, especially with Luzardo coming out of the pen doing what he’s doing.”

AL Notes: Tucker, Gallo, Hicks

By Dylan A. Chase | September 2, 2019 at 9:50pm CDT

Though Kyle Tucker was added to the Astros dugout prior to Monday’s matchup with Milwaukee, manager A.J. Hinch is making it clear that nothing will be handed to the well-regarded youngster. “We’ll make our assessment on where he can help us,” Hinch said to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (link). “But he’s going to be a complement player right now until he earns more at-bats.”

Considering the team’s 2019 success and the emergence of rookie Yordan Alvarez, it’s unsurprising to hear that the ’Stros aren’t looking to endanger their status quo simply to accommodate a look at a 22-year-old prospect like Tucker. Still, as noted in the report, Tucker could theoretically be in line for more at-bats should the struggles of fellow outfielder Josh Reddick continue. Considered to be one of the two best prospects in the Houston system (along with hurler Forrest Whitley), Tucker hit .266/.354/.555 with 34 home runs in 536 PCL plate appearances this year.

More rumblings from around the league…

Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo will be back to launching balls in batting practice this week, which will mark his first time in the cage since fracturing the hamate bone in his right hand on July 23rd. In a report from Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, Gallo admits that pain will still be a factor in determining whether or not the slugger should venture a 2019 return for an out-of-the-race club. “I don’t want to get on the field and not perform to capabilities and have to sit on that all winter,” Gallo said Monday. “We’re not in a playoff race, so I’m not worried about having to prove something.” Still, manager Chris Woodward projected that the club does expect Gallo to be good to go at some point in the next two weeks.
Nary a day goes by on this site without an update regarding an injured Yankees player, and this Labor Day evening should be no different. YES reporter Meredith Marakovits passes along that outfielder Aaron Hicks was engaged in throwing exercises today–the first time he’s done so since being placed on the injured list with a flexor strain on Aug. 4 (Twitter link). Like most injuries involving the Yankees this year, Hicks’ injury really only opened the door for another, lesser-known player to open eyes with a surprising fill-in performance, as outfielder Mike Tauchman did with his solid August at the plate (.274 BA and 5 home runs in 84 at-bats). When healthy in 2019, Hicks has himself recorded a .235/.325/.443 line (100wRC+) in 255 plate appearances.

AL Notes: Encarnacion, Gallo, Buxton

By Dylan A. Chase | August 24, 2019 at 8:49pm CDT

The Yankees dropped a 2-1 decision to the Dodgers in L.A. on Saturday, but the game wasn’t without one historic highlight for New York fans. Aaron Judge’s solo home run in the fourth inning was the club’s 58th dinger in August–tying the record for most team home runs in a single month. Judge’s homer put the club even with the 1987 Orioles, who hit 58 home runs in 28 games, and the 1999 Mariners, who accomplished this feat in 27 games. The Yankees, of course, have only played 23 games so far this month and will have six more August games to carve out a singular place in the power-hitting record books.

Their chances of doing so would be much aided by the return of slugger Edwin Encarnacion, who has been out of action since fracturing his wrist on Aug. 3. As it turns out, Encarnacion has at least resumed some baseball activity, as James Wagner of the New York Times relays that the 1B/DH has begun taking ground balls and hitting off a tee (link). It’s obviously doubtful that Encarnacion will get back before September, but his return could just as well power another historic Bronx power binge in the season’s final month.

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