The Oakland A's on Wednesday announced that they've signed outfielder/DH Khris Davis to a minor-league contract and assigned him to their Arizona Complex League roster. Davis, 33, was released by the Rangers in mid-June after batting .157/.262/.333 with two home runs in 22 games.
Davis' ties with Oakland, however, run deep. The A's originally acquired him via trade with the Brewers in February of 2016. Across the next five seasons with the A's, Davis batted .240/.316/.495 with 158 home runs in 617 games. Davis peaked in 2018 when he led the majors with 48 home runs and finished eighth in the AL MVP balloting.
This past offseason, the A's traded him to the Rangers as part of a six-player deal that also landed shortstop Elvis Andrus in Oakland.
It remains to be seen how much Davis has left and whether a return to the organization with which he enjoyed his best years will foment a renaissance at the plate. What is known is that the A's, presently trying to cling to the second AL wild card spot, have struggled to get reliable production from the DH spot this season. The low-risk addition of Davis may be their best post-deadline shot at addressing that deficit.
