Khris Davis out again; IL trip up in the air
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CLEVELAND -- The A’s aren’t ready to put Khris Davis on the injured list just yet.
Davis was out of the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the Indians after departing Tuesday’s 5-3 win in the third inning with lingering effects from the left hip contusion he suffered on May 5 after colliding with a railing in left-field foul ground at PNC Park. Both Davis and A’s manager Bob Melvin intimated that an IL stint was likely necessary, as he'll now miss his seventh game since the injury, but with an off-day on Thursday, the A’s will hold off on an official decision until Friday.
“We'll get the results of the MRI at some point between now and then,” Melvin said. “Probably a great chance that he goes on the IL, but we’ll hold off just in case. We’ll play short today and see where he is on Friday.”
Davis said he felt his injury might be more of an oblique issue, as he felt most of his discomfort near the area on all of his swings. The MRI results will give a better idea of what the actual injury might be.
“He could have bruised the oblique, maybe a pull,” Melvin said. “I’m not a doctor, and we’ll get the results, but maybe a bruised oblique is why he’s feeling a sharper pain. When he gets in the game and swings harder, that’s when he really feels it.”
Outfielder Skye Bolt had a locker at Progressive Field and was in the clubhouse on standby as part of the A’s taxi squad, but Davis’ unavailability left them with just a two-man bench for Wednesday’s game.
Davis has slugged more home runs than any player in MLB since the start of the 2016 season and leads the A’s with 12 homers to go along with a .248 average and 29 RBIs this season, so his absence will certainly be felt. But the A’s offense as a whole has been heating up on this current nine-game road trip, with 19 home runs through eight games, many of those coming from the bottom of the order.
“It’s never great to not have him, but if you’re playing well, it’s certainly more palatable when you’re getting contributions up and down the lineup,” Melvin said. “There are times where he carries the load by himself. That’s not the case right now. Guys are swinging the bats well and everyone is contributing.”