SAN FRANCISCO, June 18 (Reuters) - XTO Energy Inc (XTO.N), one of the top four independent U.S. oil and gas producers, expects the number of its rigs working to rise later this year as natural gas prices start to recover from current lows.

Chief Financial Officer Louis Baldwin said on Thursday that XTO's rig count was now below 60, down from a peak above 100, and he expected that to bounce back above 70 next year.

Baldwin also said XTO's natural gas production could double over the next five years as its prospects in the U.S. shale regions move into full production. (Reporting by Braden Reddall; Editing Bernard Orr)