Dodgers News: LA Playing Long Game with Long Ball Lefty Slugger

Beat writer Bill Plunkett says Dave Roberts and the Dodgers are taking a patient approach with Joey Gallo as he tries to regain his superstar status.

Joey Gallo used to be a star with the Rangers, but after a terrible year with the Yankees, the Dodgers' trade for the slugging lefty left some people wondering what their plan was.

But with a huge lead in the NL West and an outstanding supporting cast of players in the lineup, the Dodgers can afford to take on Operation Fix Joey in the middle of the season.

As Bill Plunkett writes in the Orange County Register, the Dodgers are taking a patient approach with Gallo.

“From the first day I got here, they said it wasn’t about immediate results. It’s about the process and getting back to the player I know I can be,” Gallo said.

Manager Dave Roberts says he and his staff believe a mechanical issue is behind Gallo's struggles.

“I think Joey has a great approach. He understands which part of the zone he’s really good at. But the way his body is working, it doesn’t allow the mechanics to work the way they should be. I think in this particular case, it’s largely mechanical.”

Some results have started to show, but it's too soon to tell how real it all is, especially because two of his hits (a single and a home run) have come off position players. Gallo also isn't in the lineup every day, so while he's putting in the work in the cage, the results on the field might take a little while to show up. Hence the patient approach.

“We’re still getting there with Joey. I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. I think right now we’re just trying to give him some leash and some runway to get some confidence.”

The upside with Gallo is huge. He averaged 34 homers per year in Texas from 2017-19, and that sort of production would be huge even in the Dodgers' impressive lineup. They have about seven weeks left to figure out what they have in Gallo and whether he fits in their postseason plans.