Slugger Gallo getting back into swing of things

NEW YORK -- Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo, who is on the injured list because of a fractured hamate bone in his right hand, is expected to swing a bat for the first time in the indoor cage on Monday at Yankee Stadium. He could be swinging outdoors with the team as early as Tuesday.

The question is, once he starts swinging, how much longer will it be until he can return to Major League action? It depends on how the hand feels. Gallo said he currently has soreness and it still gets fatigued when he takes around 30 swings. He doesn’t have full grip on the bat while he is taking cuts right now, which means the power-hitting lefty still needs some time to recover.

“I would probably hit on the field for a little bit. I have to see live pitching and then go from there. I would assume a couple of weeks,” Gallo said. “I haven’t hit much in six weeks. I want to make sure that I can do that and play a full game”

Gallo was off to a strong start before he went down, hitting .253 with 22 home runs, 49 RBIs and a 3.1 WAR, which is third on the team.

The goals for September

With the exception of playing the Orioles, the Rangers will face all teams with winning records during the month of September, starting with the Yankees on Monday. That’s fine with manager Chris Woodward.

The skipper wants to see how well the Rangers play against playoff contenders, and he’s planning to almost exclusively showcase his young talent during the last month of the season.

“It’s a beautiful challenge for our young team to take on [the playoff contenders] who are playing at their best,” Woodward said. “I told the players to take it as a challenge and go after these guys.

“Regardless of win/loss record, I don’t care. We can’t back down. It’s a good way to measure who we are. It’s going to be a challenge to win games, but it is also a great challenge for our younger guys to experience the big-game situations.”

For example, Ronald Guzman, who recently returned to the Major Leagues, will get a lot of playing time at first base. Woodward wants to see the adjustments Guzman has made at the plate.

“Just the consistency from every at-bat, every pitch,” Woodward said. “He has worked really hard. I know that. He worked really hard while he was here. When we sent him down, I felt it was good for him to get consistent at-bats. We weren’t able to give him that here. That’s what I want to see. He is such a good kid. He brings so much to the table in so many ways -- defensively and in the clubhouse. But with the bat he had some inconsistency with his swing. I want him to swing at good pitches, stay in the strike zone. I think he will be fine.”

Worth noting

Outfielder Hunter Pence, on the IL with a lower back strain, had an injection in Texas and will likely rejoin the team when the Rangers play the Orioles starting Thursday.