Khris Davis arrived in Detroit on Wednesday ahead of the Athletics' game against the Tigers with new teammate Tony Kemp signifying it with a selfie on Twitter.
It was as if Davis never left.
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The designated hitter was part of the Sept. 1 call-ups from Triple-A, which also included catcher Austin Allen.
Davis said the entire clubhouse lit up when he walked in.
“It’s a lot of excitement and they were all happy to see me, just smiles and a lot of hugs,” Davis said on Wednesday. “I’m just going to do what I can to help them make this playoff push, you know? That’s the importance of this organization -- it’s what I want to do.”
While it’s a great storyline, Davis is back for a reason -- his production.
Oakland Athletics
With Triple-A Vegas, Davis was slashing .333/.382.921 with 10 home runs and a 1.303 OPS in 16 games.
As far as what he did at the plate to get those familiar numbers, Davis said after his time with the Texas Rangers, he was showing power, so he had to tinker his offensive approach.
“I started using my backside more and using my legs more, just working with Jaff Decker in the cage in a couple months, and I got my next opportunity," Davis said. "I’m just going to ride it out as long as it lasts.”
Davis said he noticed those adjustments right away in Vegas after hitting a ball to the opposite field.
“It just showed up the first game,” Davis said.
Davis had his struggles, of course.
Across the 2019-2020 seasons with the A’s, Davis posted a .217 average and 25 home runs with 172 strikeouts in 632 trips to the plate.
He then was traded to the Rangers for Elvis Andrus on Feb. 6, and later released by Texas. He now finds himself back in the A’s dugout with the veteran shortstop as his new teammate.
Weird how these things work.
A’s manager Bob Melvin had been in constant contact with Davis despite the trade, sending a text in the form of a GIF to show his excitement about his return.
“We were going back and forth last night, after the callup and he said he was probably more excited about this call-up than his first and that’s due to a lot of the things you’re talking about,” Melvin said on Wednesday. “The fact that he had to go down and dig deep and do it all over again. It’s a hard thing to do so it’s very impressive to see what he’s accomplished to get back here and now it’s all about him helping our team out down the stretch which he’s looking very much forward to do.”
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Davis had an extra boost from one of his best friends on the team, also.
“[Matt Chapman] talked me into daydreaming about playing with the team again, and that was enough to get me off the couch,” Davis said.
Melvin said he plans to talk to Davis about his role after the promotion, but Mitch Moreland, who mostly is the designated hitter for the A's, landed on the Injured List with left wrist tendinitis, so Davis certainly fills that void for now.
Davis will wear the No. 11 uniform because Starling Marte, who was acquired before the MLB trade deadline, currently wears Davis' former No. 2.