J.J.

Davis

Taht’s a little earlier than expected, which is a good sign. Even if Davis joins the Pirates when rosters expand, we don’t expect manager Lloyd McClendon to give him many opportunities.

Davis had been on rehab at Nashville with a hip injury. He could still have the potential for a 20/20 season with another organization, but the Pirates have soured on him.

Davis played first base in high school, and he believes having some versatility will help him. “Anything that helps keep me up here or gives me a chance to play, I’m going to do it,” Davis said. With Randall Simon ailing, it’s possible Davis could see some action at first base, though the Pirates are better off using Craig Wilson there and Davis in the outfield.

Davis, who had a strong spring, stole his first base as a major leaguer when he pinch-ran for Randall Simon on Monday. He could have some fantasy value if a Pittsburgh outfielder went down to injury.

Davis made his first start Wednesday, as did Jose Castillo. Manager Lloyd McClendon went with the lineup he intends to use against lefties to start the season. Davis was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, Castillo was 1-for-4.

Even though he’s out of options, Davis doesn’t appear to be a lock to make the Pirates. “There were some at bats there we would have liked for him to have had to get better prepared for spring training,” Pirates GM Dave Littlefield said. “It’s a big year for him with the options situations. We’ll see how it goes.” If the Pirates don’t want Davis, there will be plenty of teams looking to grab him. He’s had two very productive seasons in a row in the minors and deserves a chance to be a regular right fielder in the majors.

Davis, they feel, could use another year of polish in the minors but he’s out of options and they’ll likely lose him if they try to sneak him through waivers. ''We like J.J. He’s got a lot of talent, GM Dave Littlefield said. ''You’d like to see him play everyday somewhere. We just don’t think it’s at the major-league level right now.’' Davis is hitting just .059 in a bit part this season, even though we think he wouldn’t be half bad if the team just let him play. Doesn’t look like it will happen, though.

''I think I’m the odd man out. I don’t think they like me over here,’' he said. Davis is hitting just .100 with two RBI but hasn’t been given much of a chance. ''I want to be a Pirate, [but] I’m still going to be a superstar whether I’m here or not.’' If the Bucs put him through waivers, it would be a surprise if somebody didn’t scoop Davis up. He’s got a nice power/speed combo.

Davis is not hurt -- he was just suffering from food poisoning which he didn’t mention to anyone because he wanted to play. After the game, he said everything was fine. An undercooked steak was determined to be the culprit.

He has hit very well at Triple-A Nashville during his rehab assignment from a finger injury, (6 homers and 13 RBI this month) but will likely return to his role as a bench player when he re-joins the Pirates this week.