Everybody was rooting for Khris Davis to find a bounce-back with the Texas Rangers, but it doesn’t appear that’s going to happen.
The Rangers designated Davis for assignment on Tuesday, reports insider John Blake.
Texas acquired Davis from the Oakland A’s last winter, in a swap of salary dumps. The Rangers sent over shortstop Elvis Andrus and got back the slugging DH, entering the final year of a contract that pays him $16.75 million this season.
However, coming off two straight off-years, the change of scenery did not help Davis. He missed all of April to a quad injury, then didn’t hit much in May. He finally drilled a couple dingers in June, but apparently it was too little too late.
- Davis: .157/.262/.333, 67 wRC+, 2 HR, 13.1% BB, 26.2% Ks, .323 xwOBA
Once the most reliable hitter in the sport, good for a consistent .247 average and 40 homers every summer, the 33-year-old Davis will now have to work his way back up from the waiver wire.
To replace him on their roster, the Rangers called up utility outfielder Eli White, whom they also previously acquired from the A’s. Oakland sent White over as a prospect ahead of 2019, in the Jurickson Profar trade.
In one final piece of cosmic coincidence, there was another notable DFA in the AL West today. The Seattle Mariners cut loose catcher Jacob Nottingham, which is relevant because he’s the primary prospect the A’s sent to the Brewers in 2016 to get Davis. Time marches on! It’s the fourth time Nottingham has been DFA’d this year, and the second time the Mariners have done it (he has Rosales’d between Seattle and Milwaukee this summer).
Hopefully all of these former A’s can find their way back to the majors somewhere and keep on hitting!
Here's Khris Davis' first HR with the Rangers -- vintage to right-center pic.twitter.com/KElWA1UIQV
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) June 2, 2021