On the eve of his first game appearance at Camden Yards since he was suspended last September, first baseman Chris Davis didn't downplay the emotion that Friday will hold. He also said he expects a positive reaction from the expected sellout crowd on Opening Day.
"I think the feedback I've gotten from FanFest, the little bit of Twitter that I've been on, people have been ... very supportive," Davis said. "Spring training was great. There were a lot of people down there just telling me that they were behind me, and that they wished all the best for me, which is huge."
Davis was suspended 25 games for violating baseball's drug policy after a second positive test for amphetamines. He ended the season with one game remaining on his suspension, forcing him to miss Monday's opener against the Tampa Bay Rays.
He returned to action Tuesday and is hitless in six at-bats over two games.
"I felt OK," Davis said. "I think my adrenaline was pretty sky-high the first game. I was a little back and forth at the plate — too excited, too mellow one at-bat. I feel good as far as my swing is concerned. I think it's just a timing issue. When you have three or four days off, especially as a power hitter, you take a little bit of time to get back in there."
Manager Buck Showalter said Davis got plenty of swings in spring training, but the stop-and-start nature of his week with the remaining suspension presented "a lot of mental and emotional challenges."
Showalter is letting Davis work through those on his own, he said.
"I don't try to beat him up on some things that are pretty obvious to everybody, saying 'What are you feeling?' or 'How's that going to be?' "Showalter said. "I'm going to let him kind of sort his way through a lot of different, a lot of new things going on."
Davis said even getting on the plane back to Baltimore after Wednesday night's loss to Tampa Bay was " a little emotional."
Whether that emotion carries onto the "orange carpet" celebration Friday will be apparent to anyone who's watching.
"If you see me stop halfway and just fall down and cry like a baby, I think that'll probably answer your question," Davis joked. " I hope I can pull it together out there. I feel like I have to. This image of myself as a tough guy would look pretty bad if the starting first baseman runs down there crying and blubbering like a baby. But I'm excited, I really am."