J.D. Davis wasn't in Friday's starting lineup and struck out in his only at-bat in his first game back from the IL, but it still marked a return to the Mets after two and a half months on the IL.
Several setbacks had kept Davis away from the team since May 1, but his finger is finally feeling better, though the extended absence has left him feeling like he is starting the season all over again.
"It was another spring training, I would say, just getting the at-bats and getting my legs under me," Davis told reporters before Friday's loss to the Pirates. "It is unfortunate but we were talking about the training staff with having a spring training, having kind of that 10 days off in between spring training and Opening Day…and then getting hit in the hand, going on the IL for that, and then coming back and having some kind of awkward swing, kind of having that ligament issue in my hand, and then having two months off. It was more about getting my legs back under me, or having kind of having a second spring training."
Davis' injury came at a particularly brutal time after he had been slashing .390/.479/.610 with two home runs in a small sample size of 14 games, and now, the first-place Mets will have to find a role for Davis, though the team could certainly use his bat in the lineup. Manager Luis Rojas has publicly said that Davis' role will be fluid, playing as part of a rotation at third base while helping out in the outfield as well, and Davis is fine with either one.
"I'm flexible, and I can do my best and try to play any position and work professional at-bats and try to find ways to win," Davis said. "I'm open to anything, as long as, just communication, get my reps, and he knows that, and that's it.
"For the most part, the role that I can do, or I can control, is be a good teammate, and bring the energy, and continue to work at-bats and find a way to win games."
Davis will also have to endure uncertainty surrounding his spot on the team altogether, as the Mets are looking to upgrade at third base, with Kris Bryant seeming like a likely trade candidate. That could push Davis out, but having just returned from a lengthy absence, he is keeping his focus on rediscovering the swing that make him the Mets' best hitter in the beginning of the season.
"I've been in trade talks since 2017, '16, and what not," Davis said. "But I'm not too worried about it. If it happens, it happens…I've made a lot of friends over here. I love New York. It is what it is, but I know baseball's a business, and fortunately, if I get traded, that means another team wants me, and that's a positive thing."
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