The Oakland Athletics announced on Wednesday that they had selected the contract of designated hitter Khris Davis from their Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas as part of their September 1 roster expansion additions. The A's also recalled catcher Austin Allen from Las Vegas, giving them three on the active roster.
Davis, 33, opened this season with the Texas Rangers following an offseason trade that saw the Athletics acquire shortstop Elvis Andrus. His stay with the Rangers was short-lived, as he hit .157/.262/.333 (65 OPS+) in 22 games before Texas decided it preferred to fill the roster spot with a younger player.
Davis subsequently signed a minor-league deal with the A's and appeared in 16 games with Las Vegas. In 68 plate appearances, he batted .333/.382/.921 with 10 home runs.
Prior to the trade, Davis had spent the previous five seasons with the A's, hitting .240/.316/.495 (118 OPS+) with 158 home runs in 617 games. He received downballot consideration for the Most Valuable Player Award in both 2017 and 2018. Alas, Davis' performance had slipped in recent seasons, as he'd hit only .217/.294/.378 (81 OPS+) across the 2019-20 campaigns.
The A's have been rotating regulars at other positions through the DH spot in recent days. Catcher Sean Murphy and second baseman Jed Lowrie have each received nods at the position this week, for example.
Oakland entered Wednesday with a 73-59 record, putting them a game behind the Boston Red Sox in the hunt for the second American League wild card spot. The A's will complete their series against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday before completing a six-game road trip with a three-game set in Toronto versus the Blue Jays.
