OAKLAND, Calif. — First baseman Ike Davis’ rough and frustrating first year with the A’s will conclude Thursday when he has season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip.
A’s manager Bob Melvin made the announcement Friday before Oakland’s 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay at the O.co Coliseum.
Davis was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, one day after having an MRI that revealed the injury. Earlier in the season, he spent a long stint on the DL with a lingering injury to his quadriceps and hip.
“We took a while to get him back, and I thought once we got him back we were over that hurdle, but I guess it got progressively worse, and he wasn’t saying a whole lot about it,” Melvin said. “But recently I think, probably the last couple weeks, it got to the point where he just wasn’t comfortable either swinging or running. So yeah it kind of came to a head then. We started playing him a little bit less to see if it got any better and it just wasn’t getting better. So the MRI did reveal that he needs to have surgery on it.”
The A’s acquired Davis from Pittsburgh on Nov. 27 in a trade for international bonus slot money. Davis hit a career-high 32 home runs for the Mets in 2012, and the A’s had hoped he’d supply some power this season. The left-handed hitting Davis, however, batted .229 with three home runs and 18 RBIs.
“Typically he’s a guy who’s hit for some power and hasn’t recently for us, so maybe it had a little something to do with that,” Melvin said of the injury. “I know he felt like he really didn’t have the type of bat speed he’s used to having.”
Rookie Mark Canha will now get most of the playing time at first base. Catcher Stephen Vogt can also play first, and reserve outfielder Jake Smolinski has been working at first base with infield coach Ron Washington and is another option.