A's Third Baseman J.D. Davis Set to Begin Rehab Stint
SACRAMENTO -- Oakland A's third baseman J.D. Davis, currently on the IL, is in Sacramento with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators and will officially join the roster ahead of Sunday's game against the River Cats.
Davis, on the IL since April 15 with a right adductor strain, had started the season hot, batting .364 with four extra-base hits in the A's first two series of the season, but then cooled off quite a bit in the following three series against the Tigers, Rangers, and Nationals.
J.D. Davis has seen 26 pitches so far this series. All 26 have been four-seam fastballs. He's 0-for-5 with 3 K's.
— Jason Burke (@ByJasonB) April 13, 2024
In the first two series Davis went 8-for-22 (.363), and in the following three series he went a combined 2-for-29, with a single and a double, and 12 strikeouts.
Tyler Nevin, Abraham Toro, and Darell Hernaiz have each received a crack at the hot corner with Davis on the shelf, and the trio has provided slightly better production at the plate than Davis, putting up a 74 wRC+ to Davis' 70.
All in all, the A's haven't received much production from their third basemen in the early going this season. When Davis is through with his rehab stint, he'll take over at third, but there is also a good chance that the team attempts to trade him later in the year if he's playing well.
If that happens, the A's may not look to a veteran to fill that role, but instead down to the farm. Brett Harris is someone that has caught former A's outfielder Stephen Piscotty's eye this season. Harris is the team's No. 10 prospect on MLB Pipeline. Harris is batting .306 with an .856 OPS.
A couple of spots ahead of him at No. 7 on the organizational prospect list is 2021 first rounder Max Muncy, who could be due for a position change in order to get him to the big leagues. With Nick Allen in Oakland and former high school teammate Jacob Wilson in Double-A, the A's have plenty of options at shortstop to choose from. Muncy may end up being the one that slides over on the left side of the infield.
JASON BURKE
Jason is the host of the Locked on A's podcast, and the managing editor of Inside the A's. He's a new father and can't wait to take his son to his first baseball game at the Coliseum.