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Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo has been diagnosed with a mild right groin strain, per the beat guys on Twitter. Gallo, slated to be the everyday left fielder as well as the backup center fielder, has not played since Thursday, and his status for Opening Day is in question.
Gallo has, if memory serves, a history of leg muscle strains, and this one doesn’t sound like it is something that would cost him significant time. It is the first injury for a player expected to make the major league roster so far this spring, and could potentially open up a spot for Willie Calhoun on the roster if Gallo has to start the year on the injured list. The roster situation is complicated, however, by the fact that Gallo is the only backup CF option behind Delino DeShields. If Gallo were to miss significant time, Texas may have to consider having Zack Granite or Carlos Tocci on the roster, since otherwise their backup center fielder would be one of Calhoun, Nomar Mazara, Shin-Soo Choo or Hunter Pence.
UPDATE — Per the beat guys, Gallo says he would be in the lineup playing through this if it were a regular season game, and he will 100% be in the lineup Opening Day.