2 Khris Davis DH

Davis, catcher Jonah Heim and minor league right-handed pitcher Dane Acker were traded from the Athletics to the Rangers on Saturday in a deal which sent Elvis Andrus, catcher Aramis Garcia and cash considerations the other way, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Davis was excellent for Oakland from 2015-18, hitting exactly .247 each year while averaging 40 homers and topping out at a league-leading 48 in 2018. While that's not too far in the rearview mirror, it's not an accurate reflection of who Davis is at this point, as he's coming off two straight seasons with a wRC+ of 82, a number that might work for a defense-first catcher but certainly doesn't play as a designated hitter. Heading into his age-33 season, it's tough to see Davis suddenly bouncing all the way back to peak form, and the rebuilding Rangers won't have much reason to keep a veteran in the lineup if he continues to struggle.

Davis went 2-for-3 with a solo home run during Tuesday's Game 2 loss to the Astros.

The 32-year-old smacked a two-run shot during the series opener and followed it with Tuesday's solo homer, but the A's remain in a 2-0 hole entering Game 3. Davis struggled during the regular season with a .632 OPS -- the worst mark of his career -- but he's found his groove in four playoff games, going 7-for-23 with three homers and six RBI.

Davis went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Monday's ALDS Game 1 loss against the Astros.

Davis opened the scoring with a two-run shot off Lance McCullers in the bottom of the second, though it ultimately wasn't nearly enough as the Athletics lost 10-5. Still, it was certainly a positive to see the veteran slugger contribute, as he hit just .200/.303/.329 with two homers in 99 plate appearances during the regular season.

Davis was in the lineup for the first time since Monday in Sunday's loss to the Giants and went 1-for-3 with a walk.

Manager Bob Melvin had recently noted he'd look to get Davis consistent at-bats ahead of the postseason over the final week of the campaign, and he began making good on that pledge Sunday. Davis encouragingly didn't strike out in any of his four plate appearances, noteworthy in the sense that six whiffs in his first 18 plate appearances of September helped relegate him to the bench for multiple games. Davis will look to rediscover his power stroke ahead of the playoffs as well, as he's left the yard just once in his last 18 games.

Davis, who's been on the bench for four straight games and has just five starts since Aug. 29, is likely to get some playing time during the final week of the regular season while manager Bob Melvin rests some regulars, the Associated Press reports.

The veteran slugger has endured another forgettable season, slashing just .192/.306/.329 with two home runs across 85 plate appearances. Davis has been bogged down by the second-highest strikeout rate (29.4 percent) of his career, as well as by a pedestrian 31.3 percent hard-contact rate. Davis will look to rediscover his stroke ahead of the postseason if Melvin comes through on his pledge to afford him some opportunities in the final games of the campaign.

Davis went 2-for-6 with a two-run home run and a double during Tuesday's doubleheader against the Astros.

The veteran slugger also struck out three times as he continues to struggle to string together strong performances. Davis did his damage Tuesday during the matinee, collecting both his hits and driving in half of the A's four runs. The 32-year-old has a .172/.274/.313 slash line with two homers, three doubles and eight RBI in 21 games.

Davis went 2-for-4 with a double in Thursday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Davis has been struggling this season and might be confined to a platoon role moving forward, but he made his presence felt in Thursday's win -- he was only one of two A's players to record multiple hits, with Matt Chapman being the other day. Despite the productive performance, Davis is only hitting .173 this season and might find limited opportunities to produce unless he is able to turn things around.

Davis is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Davis had a brief window to regain playing time while Ramon Laureano served a four-game suspension, but the latter's return to action Tuesday will likely confine the former to a short-side platoon role moving forward. Even while Laureano was out, Davis only started in two of the games, going 1-for-7 with three walks and two RBI over that span. Davis is sporting a career-worst .507 OPS, and he's produced only two extra-base hits in 55 plate appearances.

Davis isn't in the lineup Monday against the Angels.

Davis will take his seat for the second straight game after going hitless in Saturday's contest. Mark Canha will serve as the designated hitter Monday with Robbie Grossman starting in left field.

Davis is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Though Davis saw his three-game hitting streak come to an end Saturday, his general trend of encouraging at-bats continued, as he didn't strike out in any of his three plate appearances. Davis is still sitting on a career-worst 32.5 percent strikeout rate, however, and that combined with a .227 BABIP has limited him to a lowly .167 average through 10 games.

Davis' recent 4-for-6 surge over two games against the Rangers came after making an adjustment to his hand positioning in the batter's box, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "It's just been helping me be more accurate to the ball. I'm finding less swings-and-misses and a little better contact," Davis said. "Just having them farther back, there's less room to go. They're already ready to fire. It's been working."

Davis moved his hands further back and slightly higher in his stance after opening the season in a 1-for-21 slump. The adjustment paid immediate dividends against Texas, and they stemmed from advice provided by hitting coaches Darren Bush and Eric Martins after the slugger went to both for help. Davis' extended struggles with the bat -- he hit just 13 home runs over the final 98 games of last season as well -- appeared to trace back to a left hip contusion he sustained on May 5, 2019 after running into the railing along the left-field line at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. "We've just been working nonstop trying to figure out what is going to work," Davis said. "I think when I got hurt, I started getting set up in a different way. My body just wasn't adjusting to that injury. When I put my hands further back, it just kind of freed things up."

Davis went 2-for-3 with a two-run single in a win over the Rangers on Thursday, He's now 4-for-6 with a home run, four RBI and two runs over his last two games.

Davis' numbers were in such dire straits prior to the recent two-game sample that his season line is still only .185/.290/.296. Nevertheless, the slugger -- and fantasy managers who have shares in him -- will undoubtedly focus on the positive, as Davis hadn't laced so much as a single extra-base hit this season prior to his round tripper Monday against the Mariners.

Davis is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

Davis will sit for a second straight game as Mark Canha draws the start at DH in his place Wednesday. The veteran slugger, who is 3-for-24 with a home run and 10 strikeouts this season, has found himself on the bench against each of the past four right-handed opposing starters.

Davis isn't in the lineup Tuesday against the Rangers.

Davis has been in a bit of a slump over the start of the 2020 season, but Monday's performance was a bright spot as he blasted his first home run of the season. However, the 32-year-old will still take a seat in the series opener against the Rangers as Mark Canha will shift to the designated hitter role, with Robbie Grossman starting in left field and batting sixth.

Davis went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Monday's 11-1 win over the Mariners.

Davis started the 2020 season with four straight hitless performances, but he is turning things around -- he has recorded hits in two of his last three games. This was his first home run of the season, and there should be many more to come for the veteran slugger. He has blasted at least 23 home runs in each of his last five seasons.

Davis is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

The struggling Davis will sit for the second time this weekend as the Athletics hand Seth Brown his first start of the season at designated hitter. Through five games this season, Davis is hitting .053 (1-for-19) and has struck out eight times.

Davis is not in the lineup Friday against the Mariners.

Davis will be out of the Athletics' lineup for the second consecutive game after going 0-for-15 with seven strikeouts over his first four games this year. Mark Canha will shift to the designated hitter role with Robbie Grossman starting in left field and batting sixth.

Davis is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rockies.

Davis has started the season going 0-for-15 with seven strikeouts. While that's a small sample, it's certainly discouraging given the veteran struggled to a career-worst .220/.293/.387 slash line last season. He appears to be something less than a true everyday player in Oakland at the moment, as Wednesday's off day is his second in the team's first six games.

Davis isn't in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Davis served as the designated hitter for the first two games of the series but will take a seat after going 0-for-7 with a run scored, two walks and three strikeouts. Vimael Machin will bat seventh as the designated hitter Sunday.

Davis has been a full participant in the Athletics summer camp thus far, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The slugger is healthy and accounted for, working out alongside his teammates and also participating in a live batting practice Tuesday against Chris Bassitt, who Davis laced a hit against according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. He also impressed manager Bob Melvin in Monday night's camp session with Melissa Lockard of The Athletic noting Davis "was hitting some balls out that had the type of carry" he usually achieves when making contact. The veteran will look to utilize the remainder of camp to continue getting his swing right after hitting just .176 (3-for-17) during Cactus League play.