It is never easy to miss the first month of the season due to injury. Spending weeks watching your team play on television can make a player very anxious. You want to help your team win, but at the same time, you know that whatever injury that you’re dealing with requires rest, time, and rehabilitation. There’s no doubt that those thoughts were swirling in the mind of Texas Rangers outfielder Khris Davis. Fans are about to be rewarded for their patience as Khris Davis returns this weekend. Davis is coming back from a strained left quad that he suffered during a spring training game in March.
Corresponding Move
The Rangers added Davis to the roster on Saturday. As a result, outfielder Eli White has been optioned to Triple-A, Round Rock. By sending White down, the Rangers are hoping that he will get more at-bats. In a stretch of 20 games with the Rangers this year, White has seven hits and four RBI over 55 at-bats. Meanwhile, Willie Calhoun will still get to play every day. For the time being, Calhoun is leading the team with a .919 OPS. In Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, manager Chris Woodward had him in the leadoff spot. David Dahl is another Ranger whose playing time will be affected. With Davis back in the fold, Dahl could play left field against right-handers while Davis will be the designated hitter against lefties. Dahl is hitting just .154 against left-handed pitching this season. He could also be the backup centerfielder once Khris Davis returns.
Not So Fast
Even though Davis is back with the big club, he won’t be rushed into the starting lineup. He was on the bench in Saturday evening’s game. Woodward is scheduling his first start for Sunday. This is a very smart move. Davis was one of the Rangers’ biggest acquisitions in the offseason. They got him from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for shortstop and team mainstay Elvis Andrus. It makes all the sense in the world that Texas would want to protect its investment, especially coming off a tender injury such as a quad strain. Nevertheless, the Rangers front office, coaching staff, and the fans are excited to have his bat back in the starting lineup. His bat, along with the bat of outfielder Joey Gallo should provide some much-needed power to the Rangers’ starting nine. The fans are definitely in for a treat. It will be a great thing to see when Khris Davis returns.
Trade News
In an early-season move, the Rangers have reached a trade agreement with the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers are sending catcher Drew Butera to the Halos in exchange for cash considerations. To make room for Butera, the Angels have designated catcher Jack Kruger for assignment. Butera, meanwhile, enters his second stint with the Angels after he was previously acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Matt Long. The 37-year-old backstop appeared in ten games for the Angels in 2015. The Angels traded him again after those ten games. This time, the Angels sent him to the Kansas City Royals on May 7, 2015 for infielder Ryan Jackson.
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Players Mentioned:
Khris Davis, Eli White, Willie Calhoun, David Dahl, Elvis Andrus, Joey Gallo, Drew Butera, Jack Kruger, Ryan Jackson
