Notes: Davis 'in good place'; Dozier update

KANSAS CITY -- Fans at Kauffman Stadium brought energy all day on Thursday, but it was hard to beat the ovation they gave to former Royals making their return -- whether it was the now-retired Alex Gordon throwing out the first pitch, outfielder Jarrod Dyson being introduced in the Opening Day ceremonies or reliever Wade Davis securing his first save for Kansas City since Sept. 28, 2016.

“Going out and shagging batting practice and everything, it was a lot of fun,” Davis said before Saturday’s game against the Rangers. “Being back out in this stadium, it’s one of my favorite stadiums to be in from the very beginning, and having fans was definitely a really cool thing to experience.”

Seeing Davis on the Kauffman Stadium mound again was a special sight, but the way he notched the save was just as impressive. Davis threw eight pitches to two batters, striking out both. He threw his curveball and cutter, but what stood out was the way he painted his fastball on the corners -- and the number that lit up on the scoreboard radar gun.

Davis threw five pitches above 93 mph, and he touched 95 twice. In 2020, Davis threw just three pitches above 93 mph. He struggled with the Rockies the previous two years and he was eventually released in September of last season, but Davis has looked more like himself since signing with the Royals. Part of that is familiarity, part of it is getting out of the altitude in Colorado, and part of it is being healthy.

“You change every year, and sometimes you don’t even know what your changes are going to be,” Davis said. “You just don’t really know what’s going to progress, but I feel great. Not throwing a whole lot last year probably helps a lot being a little fresher, but I do feel good. My body and arm feel great. I’m just in a good place.”

The Royals saw that Davis was in a good place early in Spring Training and knew he’d be a good fit in their bullpen again. Thursday’s outing proved it. Manager Mike Matheny has seen how pitching in Colorado can affect players physically and mentally, and Davis was likely not immune to that. After seeing some success in 2018, he had an 8.65 ERA in ‘19 and allowed 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings with the Rockies last year while also dealing with injuries.

“The thing that goes unnoticed is how much your stuff changes,” Matheny said. “How much your pitches move or lack thereof. And that starts boiling into confidence. I don’t care how many years you’ve had or how much success you’ve had, once you start realizing that your stuff’s not doing what you want it to do, and hitters aren’t reacting to your stuff, it affects you. … Some guys, when they get out of there, it’s a new life. And that’s what I believe we’re seeing with Wade right now.”

Davis is out to prove his health and stuff for a full season this year, more to himself than anyone else. And he’s going to be a key piece of the Royals' bullpen while doing it.

“Trying to get to 60-70 games is one of those things where you feel like you got to participate in a full season, the whole physical grind of it all,” Davis said. “I think that’s where you feel a lot of pride. And not being able to do that last year and really the year before, it’s something that’s been weighing on my mind a little bit.

“So I want to go out and have a full season, get through it and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Dozier update

Third baseman Hunter Dozier wasn’t in the lineup on Saturday after leaving Thursday’s game with a right thumb contusion, but Matheny said it shouldn’t be too long before Dozier is able to see playing time again. The swelling needs to subside, but the Royals don’t think it’s a major issue and won’t need to make a roster move.

‘Thumb’s swollen, so he’s not going to be able to go today, but they don’t feel it’ll be very long before he’s ready to go again,” Matheny said.

Worth noting

• Even though right-hander Ervin Santana, a non-roster invite to Spring Training, didn’t make the Opening Day roster, the Royals are still having him get stretched out in case they need him as a fifth or sixth starter at the end of the month.

“Just trying to have everything covered.” Matheny said. “He did a great job, but as far as what we needed right out of the gate, we thought it was best to keep him ready to go and stretched out, and then see what the opportunity looks like when we decide to bring that other pitcher on board.”

• In Thursday’s starting lineup, four players made their Royals debuts, and each of them reached in their first plate appearance as part of the five-run first inning: Andrew Benintendi singled, Carlos Santana walked and Kyle Isbel and Michael A. Taylor both logged RBI singles. That foursome combined went 8-for-18 with four walks, six runs and six RBIs.