Athletics Sign Khris Davis To Minor League Deal
Aug 4, 2021, 4:47 PM | Updated: 4:51 pm
(Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
‘Khrush’ is back in Oakland
A familiar face has returned to the Oakland Athletics.
The A’s announced on Wednesday that they had reached an agreement with free agent outfielder Khris Davis on a minor league deal.
Davis, 33, was traded to the Texas Rangers in return for shortstop Elvis Andrus during the offseason. The veteran slugger was released on June 13th after batting .157 with two home runs and 5 RBI over 51 at bats (22 games).
‘Khrush’ has not looked like himself over the past two seasons, as the Cal State Fullerton alumnus holds a .184 batting average and .331 slugging percentage dating back to the start of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. His four home runs and 15 RBI over those seasons are a far cry away from his monstrous 2016-18 campaign that saw him hit at least 40 home runs and drive in over 100 runs in each season.
The A’s announced that Davis will report to the team’s Arizona Complex League where he will get at bats in case the team requires his services down the line.
“Given an opportunity, we’d love to have him back in the organization,” manager Bob Melvin said after learning about the move on Wednesday. “It’s giving an opportunity for him to get back to where he was in the past, and he hasn’t had the opportunity here recently, so we’ll see what happens in Triple-A. Obviously, we wish him the best. We hope he gets off to a good start and plays his way here.”
With two months of baseball left, the playoff push is on. Oakland might benefit from the familiar services of an old friend–and maybe even some ‘Oaktober’ magic, as well.