A’s Davis healthy, poised to return to old self

Any lineup the Oakland A’s throw out in this shortened 2020 season rivals the best in baseball. Add Sean Murphy’s powerful swing to an offense that ranked among the league’s top 10 in most major statistical categories in 2019 and those lineups get scarier.

Add in Khris Davis swinging to his 2018-level production? Manager Bob Melvin shook his head, his eyes widened at the thought.

“Add a normal KD season to this offensive group, we have the chance to be really good,” he said.

Davis wasn’t comfortable last year discussing his uncharacteristically slow production at the plate, but bits and pieces came to the forefront. A hip contusion incurred after he chased a foul ball hard into the railing at PNC Park in Pittsburgh last May, a hand injury incurred later on, spiraled into unshakable discomfort, then mental games and doubt.

On Friday, with a 23 home run, .220 average, .679 OPS 2019 season behind him, Davis could put it in concise perspective.

“That’s one thing I took last year, I didn’t feel good physically a lot of the days,” he said. “And that’s what held me down, I couldn’t overcome it.”

Davis feels good, he said. Coaches notice he’s finding his rhythm, too. His 2019 season brings up an interesting dilemma in this 2020 experiment. How do you play the hot hand and manage the cold slump?

In a 162-game season, coaches have the space to let a prolonged cold streak thaw.