ARLINGTON, Texas — A lot of the talk surrounding the Texas Rangers heading into All-Star week is whether slugging right fielder Joey Gallo will participate in the Home Run Derby next Monday.
Maybe it should be John Hicks.
The Rangers catcher has been on a torrid tear since he was called up from Triple-A Round Rock last week. On Tuesday, he helped ignite a Rangers lineup that matched a season-high run total against the Detroit Tigers, winning by a score of 10-5.
Highlighting the game was Hicks' fourth home run in his fourth game with the team, becoming the first player to do so in the history of the Rangers/Senators franchise. Despite having a pair of young catchers in Jose Trevino and Jonah Heim, manager Chris Woodward is going to have a hard time leaving him out of the lineup if he hits a home run every time he plays.
However, Hicks wasn't only impactful with the long ball. After the Tigers had come back from down four runs to tie the game at 5-5, Hicks came through with a huge RBI single that drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning.
"That two-strike base hit to left," Woodward said. "I mean, I don't know what to say. This guy has been a spark ever since we called him up. ... I can't say enough. He's earning some playing time for sure."
It wasn't all that long ago that Adolis García came up and helped spark the Texas lineup. Now John Hicks is doing the same thing — and the Rangers needed it. They had two rough games at the plate on Sunday and Monday, and Chris Woodward challenged his team to bounce back in a big way.
García and David Dahl both had three-hit games, with the latter driving in two runs on two RBI doubles. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who is in a lengthy slump, came through with a big two-run single in the fourth inning that extended the Rangers lead to 4-1 at the time. And while Joey Gallo didn't hit a home run, he reached base three times with a single and two walks.
Bounce back accomplished.
"I wouldn't say we laughed off yesterday, but we had good conversations about it," said Woodward. "You try to avoid games like that, but I think it's how you bounce back from that. We had good energy all day."
Earning the Rangers post-win cowboy hat was David Dahl, who spent quite a bit of time with Triple-A Round Rock and Double-A Frisco on a rehab assignment after injuring his rib cage and back. With Willie Calhoun sidelined after undergoing surgery to repair a forearm fracture, Dahl has the opportunity to earn some at-bats if he can maintain his health, which was the biggest concern with Dahl when the Rangers signed him last winter.
In a year dedicated to evaluation, the Rangers would love to get a good look at Dahl to see if he can possibly be part of their long term plans. The Rangers have club control over him through 2023. However, even though a guy like Willie Calhoun is bound to miss some time, it won't come without competition. There are other younger hitters like Eli White who are trying to establish themselves as part of the future core as well.
"I think it will take care of itself," Woodward said. "It is definitely based on performance and the quality of at-bats. The guy that's swinging better is probably going to get the majority of the playing time."
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