PEORIA, Ariz. -- Khris Davis is inching closer to his Cactus League debut.

The A’s expect baseball’s 2018 home run king to be in the lineup for Friday’s home game against the Padres “if everything goes well,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

Davis has been held out of action with a left calf strain and needs to clear one more hurdle before he’s deemed game-ready. The designated hitter has yet to run the bases, but he anticipates doing so Thursday following a pain-free running session under the watch of team athletic trainer Nick Paparesta on Wednesday.

“The biggest thing with Khris is making sure each and every day when he comes back after running that he feels good and he’s not having any discomfort at all,” Paparesta said. “Then, to be honest with you, we have to get Khris in shape a little bit. He’s been out for the last 16 days rehabbing, and I need him to make sure that his legs are under him so that he can go out and play every day.

“I understand it is the DH role, but he does get on base, and you do need to run, even if you hit homers. So we've got to make sure he’s ready from that standpoint.”

Davis swatted 48 homers last year, giving him a Major League-leading 133 since the start of 2016.

Up next

The A’s will head to Scottsdale to take on the Bay rival Giants on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. PT. A couple of rotation candidates -- both out of options to boot -- will be on display. Frankie Montas gets the start, and Aaron Brooks is also scheduled to pitch.