Washington Nationals first baseman/outfielder Joey Gallo (hamstring) has started a light running program in his rehab for a serious hamstring injury that he suffered on June 11. Given the serious nature of his injury, the 30-year-old left-handed slugger won't be ready to come off the 10-day injured list when he's eligible and may not even be ready to return before the All-Star break in mid-July. Gallo is also going to require a minor-league rehab assignment before he rejoins the big-league roster. Fantasy managers chasing power will find it difficult to roster Gallo in mixed leagues now days. In his first 140 at-bats before his hamstring injury, he went just 23-for-140 (.164) with five home runs and 11 RBI for the Nats. The former first-rounder is a huge batting average drain, and the swings and misses continue to pile up.
The Washington Nationals reinstated first baseman/outfielder designated hitter Joey Gallo (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned rookie infielder Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move. It remains to be seen if Gallo will be included in Friday's starting lineup against the Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Zack Wheeler. The 30-year-old left-handed slugger has recovered from a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder and should play mostly in right field or as the DH on most days against right-handed pitching for the Nats, at least until Lane Thomas (knee) returns from his injury. Gallo has elite power but struggles to make consistent contact at the plate. He's returning to a .122/.286/.311 slash line with three homers and five RBI in the 23 games he's played in this year.
Washington Nationals outfielder/designated hitter Joey Gallo (shoulder) is feeling good in his rehab with Triple-A Rochester. Nationals skipper Davey Martinez provided an update on the slugger on Friday after Gallo enjoyed a big night at the plate on Thursday. "He hit a home run and a double. He's starting to swing the bat a little bit better," Martinez said. "They said he feels good. Just like everybody else, he's trying to get his timing back." It's been a tough start for Gallo to begin his Nationals tenure as he hit just .122 with three homers and a .597 OPS across 91 trips to the plate before he hit the injured list with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder on April 26.
Washington Nationals outfielder Joey Gallo (shoulder) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Low-A Fredericksburg on Saturday. Gallo will return to live games after recently landing on the injured list due to a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder. If the 30-year-old left-handed slugger can avoid a setback with his shoulder, he could be off the injured list and back with the Nationals by early next week. Gallo still has plenty of power and is a lineup regular for the Nats when healthy, but it's hard to ignore his low batting average and swings and misses. Before going on the shelf, Gallo was sporting a .122/.286/.311 slash line with three home runs, five RBI, one stolen base and eight runs scored in 74 at-bats.
Joey Gallo Headed To 10-Day Injured List With Shoulder Sprain
Washington Nationals outfielder Joey Gallo (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left-shoulder sprain on Saturday. Outfielder Alex Call was promoted from Triple-A Rochester as a result. The 30-year-old has posted a .122/.286/.311 stat line with three home runs and five RBI. Even though Gallo has struggled at the plate, he still maintained an impressive 19.4% barrel rate, which placed him in the 99th percentile among qualified hitters. Gallo should be expected to be sidelined for at least the next ten days. Call should make his season debut sometime next week. The 29-year-old flashed speed at times as he swiped nine bags last season and could be a target in NL-Only formats.
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that the plan for now is to play Joey Gallo in right field after the team placed outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a Grade 2 MLB sprain in his left knee. Rookie infielder Trey Lipscomb, who was called up from Triple-A Rochester, will play multiple positions but probably a decent amount of first base. Gallo is making his first start in the outfield on Wednesday and is hitting fifth against Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed rookie Landon Knack. The 30-year-old left-handed batter has plenty of power offensively, but he swings and misses often and is hitting just .143 (9-for-63) on the year with three home runs, five RBI and 34 strikeouts in 79 plate appearances over 20 games.
Washington Nationals first baseman/outfielder Joey Gallo and third baseman Nick Senzel are both out of the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Houston Astros. Joey Meneses is playing first base and batting sixth, while Ildemaro Vargas is at third base and hitting ninth against Astros right-hander Justin Verlander, who is making his 2024 debut after dealing with a right-shoulder injury this spring. Gallo started each of the team's previous 14 games and could use a break after hitting just .170 with three home runs to begin the year. Senzel began the year on the injured list and has gone 2-for-11 with a walk and three strikeouts in his first three games of the year. Meneses and Vargas have gone hitless against Verlander in their careers in just five combined at-bats.
Washington Nationals outfielders Eddie Rosario and Joey Gallo and second baseman Luis Garcia are all on the bench on Monday with the team facing a left-hander in Pittsburgh Pirates southpaw Marco Gonzales. Victor Robles is getting the start in center field and is batting ninth, Joey Meneses is starting at first base and batting third, and Ildemaro Vargas is at the keystone and hitting seventh. Rosario started the first three games of the year for the Nats in center field and went 3-for-11 with a home run over the weekend. Gallo also started each of the team's first three games against right-handed pitchers and went hitless in 12 at-bats with six strikeouts. The 30-year-old slugger is unlikely to play much against lefties in 2024. Garcia went 2-for-11 with a walk and four strikeouts in the first three games of the year.
Joey Gallo To Serve As Everyday First Baseman For Nationals
Washington Nationals first baseman/outfielder Joey Gallo will serve as the everyday first baseman for the club in the 2024 campaign. The veteran inked a one-year, $5 million deal with the Nats this offseason after spending the 2023 season with the Minnesota Twins. He hit just .177 but slugged 21 home runs in just 111 games, typical production from the 30-year-old. His 21 homers outweighed his 19 singles a season ago, and he has 198 career home runs versus 215 singles. He also sports a healthy 14.8% BB% for his career but his well-known strikeout issues have resulted in an eye-popping 37.9% career strikeout rate. If you can stomach the tiny batting average and a boatload of strikeouts, Gallo's power is worth noting in an everyday role for fantasy managers in 2024.
Washington Nationals outfielder/designated hitter Joey Gallo (quadriceps) has a sore quadriceps in camp and is only hitting right now, according to manager Dave Martinez. The skipper doesn't think it's a huge deal and thinks Gallo might be able to get into Grapefruit League games next week if all goes well. Martinez described it as the team being cautious right now. The 30-year-old left-handed slugger should be fine for Opening Day at the end of March. In his first season with the rebuilding Nationals, the veteran outfielder is expected to see most of his time in left field while also seeing DH at-bats. Because of his inability to make consistent contact, Gallo is prone to prolonged slumps. Strikeouts will come in bunches with some power added in. It's becoming harder and harder to justify a roster spot in fantasy for Gallo.