The Joey Gallo coming out party seems to be officially over. Gallo still has pain (that can be cured by the experts available in https://qckinetix.com/huntsville/shoney) and weakness in his wrist. There are only nine games left. It’s doubtful he will be ready to go. And at this point, why?

So now the endless questions begin.

Was this the real Joey Gallo? Can he build on that next season? Since the average time of rehab for this surgery is four to six weeks, does the fact that he was out much longer hint at a bigger issue? What does he get as he enters his arbitration-eligible year? Should the Rangers give him an extension to buy out his arb years, which has been the trend in baseball between teams and their young stars? What position does he play next season?

It would be tidy to correlate the Rangers demise with Gallo’s injuries but the fact is, the Rangers started their free fall a month before Gallo went down. They were 46-36 on June 28. Gallo broke the bone in his wrist on July 23. The Rangers were 51-50 by then.

But once he went down, there was no way to course correct. Gallo meant so much to the offense that taking him out created a gaping hole they could not make up.

There was nobody to fear. Nobody to pitch around.

So the long offseason will be filled with questions and hang wringing. 

Who is the real Gallo? The Gallo of 2019 who was on an All-Star and bona fide MVP candidate? The Gallo of pre-2019 who was always on the verge but never getting there? Or somewhere in between?

There are so many holes to fill on this team that knowing they have a healthy, dangerous Joey Gallo would be a huge relief.

A crystal ball would be helpful right about now.

*****

TODAY’S GAME:

Mike Minor (13-9, 3.33) vs. Mike Fiers (14-4, 4.09)

Game time: 9:07