Khris Davis goes 2-for-3 in first game back with A’s

Seven months ago, the Oakland A’s traded away Khris Davis. But he returned this week, and Thursday afternoon he played his first game back with his old team.

Davis left a powerful mark on the A’s during his first stint here. He ranks eighth in Oakland history in homers, including three straight years with 40 or more, and twice Athletics Nation voted him Team MVP. There was a time when he was the club’s biggest star, so seeing him back in a green-and-gold uniform (now wearing jersey No. 11) was exciting on its own.

However, we had to wait to watch Davis back in action, as he wasn’t in the starting lineup Wednesday after his callup. Again on Thursday his name was absent from the order, but when the A’s took an early 7-0 lead, he got his chance. With two runners on and two outs in the 4th inning, they gave DH Jed Lowrie a rest and put in Davis as a pinch-hitter. On the first pitch, he ripped a 106.6 mph liner down the left field line for an RBI double.

It wasn’t quite his customary dinger, but only because it didn’t get enough elevation. Once the ball reached the LF corner, it lodged itself under the wall for an automatic double, which prevented the other runner from scoring from first base. Former A’s teammate Robbie Grossman was the Detroit Tigers fielder who put his hands up to signal the ball going out of play.

Davis got two more at-bats. His next time up in the 6th inning he popped out, but in the 9th he lined a single into left field for his second hit of the day.

This one wasn’t hit particularly hard, more of a bloop, but it’s good enough to land for a single most of the time. He came to the plate three times and didn’t strike out, with plenty to show for all the contact he made.

• Davis: 2-for-3, double, RBI, no strikeouts

He played 22 games for the Rangers this year and batted just .157 with two homers for Texas, his third straight disappointing season in the majors. After being released in June he signed back with Oakland in August on a minor league deal, and at Triple-A Las Vegas he pounded 10 homers in 16 games, earning him a September callup.

Can Davis bounce back from his three-year slump, and make an impact in the A’s postseason race? Time will tell, but he got his first test today and khrushed it.