Khris Davis’ return to the Athletics in 2021 was a warm one. A quick selfie with infielder Tony Kemp the moment he arrived in Detroit on Sept. 1 showed the excitement.
On Sunday at Minute Maid Park in the season finale, Khris Davis hit a solo home run to tie it up against the Houston Astros in the ninth inning.
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While the A's still wound up losing, Davis was happy to leave the season on a note he was used to having. It’s a return he hopes to have again come next season.
“It felt great, just to contribute and help keep the season that much more alive,” Davis said after the 7-6 loss. “I was happy, and all my teammates were happy and that’s what it’s about -- making them happy -- it’s not a better feeling.”
Davis said even though it’s been a tough couple of years for him, he felt the love and appreciation from the fans once he was signed to a one-year minor league deal before his promotion from Triple-A.
It was written in the stars -- he was meant to be back. This was the guy who once had a league-best 48 home runs in the 2018 season. The A’s signed him to a two-year extension after that season, a rarity for the organization.
Oakland Athletics
Davis will become a free agent this offseason and can’t think of anywhere else he’d like to play. He said he’s definitely open to the option of returning to Oakland.
“Oakland is a pretty special place for me and my family, you know,” Davis said. “What they’ve done for us is just -- they’ve made my dreams come true and there’s no better place I’d rather play.”
Davis was traded from the A’s on Feb. 6 to the Texas Rangers as part of the Elvis Andrus deal after spending six seasons in Oakland. He quickly designated for assignment over the summer after having a lowly season at the plate with the Rangers.
For Triple-A Las Vegas, Davis hit 10 home runs in 16 games, slashing .333/.382/.921 with a 1.303 OPS. That sparked the call-up in September.
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The offseason could play in Davis’ favor to return, but the A’s have more pressing issues on their plate starting with the bullpen. For now, however, it was a nice reunion and he was able to cancel a lot of doubts.
“I think just by getting back here, I thought I proved a lot of people wrong because when I got released, they didn’t think they’d see me again,” Davis said. “You know, I literally read that. So just to be back up, you know, it was just a victory itself.”