A’s can’t wait for Davis to start bashing ball like last 3 seasons
As the A’s resumed their season Friday night, forgive manager Bob Melvin for peering ahead and picturing Khris Davis becoming, well, Khris Davis.
In other words: the Davis who smacked 10 home runs in April. Or the one who hit 48 last season, and 43 the previous year, and 42 the year before that.
Just not the Davis who has struggled with injuries the past two months. Davis had only two homers in May, four in June and entered Friday night’s game against the White Sox with none in July. He promptly lined a runscoring single in the first inning, his first RBI since June 25.
The A’s won 17 of their final 24 games before the AllStar break, even without Davis making much noise. Other hitters leaped to life, including Matt Olson (19 homers in 51 games) and Matt Chapman (teamhigh 21 homers on the season).
Asked about the significance of Davis regaining his form of the past three seasons, Melvin said before the game, “It would be really nice. The
way Olson and Chapman are swinging the bat, and (Ramon) Laureano and (Marcus) Semien, and now all of a sudden you put our top power hitter into the mix … ”
Melvin paused and smiled.
“It would be pretty good,” he said.
Davis bruised his left hip May 5 in Pittsburgh, while making a rare appearance in left field, and eventually landed on the injured list. Then he was hit by a pitch on his left hand June 27 in Anaheim. Davis went 2for26 between then and the AllStar break.
Melvin is optimistic this week’s respite helped Davis recover and rejuvenate.
“I think it’ll be key for him,” Melvin said. “He went from one injury to the next and kept wanting to play. You watch him swing and it was affected by the injuries. Hopefully, we’re past that now. Typically, when he’s healthy, he’s very productive.”
Barreto sits: Franklin Barreto began the season’s second half on the bench, but don’t expect him to stay there.
Melvin drew up a lineup card including Jurickson Profar, not Barreto, starting at second base. Profar batted eighth Friday night against the White Sox and hit a solo homer in the second inning.
Melvin cautioned against reading too much into the decision, despite Barreto’s struggles at the plate before the AllStar break. He’s 2for23 with 10 strikeouts since the A’s recalled him from TripleA Las Vegas on June 30.
“We have to keep Profar playing some,” Melvin said. “Barreto is going to get most of the games, he’ll be back in there (Saturday). I just wanted one more lefthanded bat in there (Friday night).”
Profar, the starter at second base most of the season, hit .212 before the break, with 10 homers and 40 RBIs. His struggles on both offense and defense prompted the A’s to summon Barreto, a longheralded prospect. Barreto helped his cause by hitting .358 over his last 40 games with Las Vegas.
So now he will have the chance to rediscover his swing with Oakland, after four days off for the AllStar break and then one more Friday.
“What we’re going to find out about Franklin is when he goes through a struggle and then he gets through it,” Melvin said. “That’s the hard part for younger players at the bigleague level. Even if you get off to a good start, you’re probably going to go through a struggle at some point.
“Then when you come out of it, you really find out who that player is.”
Injury updates: Outfielder Stephen Piscotty will test his sprained right knee by running Sunday. Piscotty has been hitting and throwing, and spending time on the treadmill and stationary bike, but Melvin said running the bases will determine when Piscotty begins a rehabilitation assignment.
Also, pitcher Sean Manaea (shoulder surgery) will make a rehab start Saturday with Class A Stockton, and pitcher Jharel Cotton (elbow surgery) will do the same with TripleA Las Vegas.