Smoak to Arlington, Davis to OKC
There's Smoak on the water in Arlington.
A little late roster maneuvering by the Rangers Thursday night as they recalled first baseman Justin Smoak and optioned Chris Davis back to the RedHawks.
For Smoak it’s the moment he has been waiting for and despite a slow spring training, has showed he is ready for. Smoak had a 12-game on base streak with the RedHawks that was snapped Thursday night. Not that Smoak should care at this point. He’s in the majors.
With OKC he hit .326 with an other worldly .500 on base percentage. In 47 at bats he drew 16 walks. Odds are, unless he gets hurt, Justin Smoak will never been seen in Oklahoma City again.
And the other side of the move is Davis who has struggled to pan out as a major league hitter after destroying minor league pitching in 2008. Davis was optioned to OKC in July of last year after he struggled at the plate with loads of strikeouts.
Davis is just 24 and has shown he can hit in the big leagues before, as a rookie in 2008 and in the second half of last season when he was recalled. But clearly this is not a place the Rangers, and especially Davis wants to be in.
As for the long term, expect Davis to see time at third base. He’s still a good defensive player and has played there before. Beyond that, Michael Young turns 34 this year. But he has many miles to go before he can start thinking about the big leagues again. His stay in OKC is likely to be a lengthy one, as in months not weeks.
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