Report: Gallo to return this weekend

Frisco always knew Joey Gallo would return, but the question was, "When?" Now, there is an answer.

The Rangers' top prospect will make his 2015 debut with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders this weekend, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told FOX Sports Southwest's Anthony Andro.

Gallo has yet to play in a Minor League game this season after undergoing left ankle surgery to remove a bone on April 3. He needed the surgery after experiencing ankle pain that just wouldn't go away this spring. 

"Any time I put pressure on it it felt like someone was putting a knife in my heel," he told The Dallas Morning News. "I couldn't even walk. They said it was just an extra bone back there and I must've did something to jar it loose. After that you've got to get it injected or take it out. I decided to take it out."

The 21-year-old third baseman is ranked the No. 10 prospect in baseball by MLB.com and is considered the biggest power prospect in the Minors. He is coming off back-to-back 40-homer seasons (40 in 2013, 42 in 2014) and has smacked 104 long balls in 296 Minor League contests. 

Gallo returns to Frisco, where he owned a .232/.334/.524 line with 21 homers and 56 RBIs in 68 games last season after hitting .323/.463/.735 with 21 homers and 50 RBIs in 58 contests at Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach. His strikeouts (115 in 291 plate appearances, 39.5 percent) in the Texas League were a concern, and an improved contact rate will be a focus as he climbs the Rangers ladder. 

If Gallo continues to show 80-grade power in 2015, he could make his Major League debut at some point this summer, particularly if the Rangers deal Adrian Beltre.