DETROIT — Orioles first baseman Chris Davis had an X-ray on his sore left hand, but the results were assuring enough that he was inserted back into the lineup as the cleanup hitter for Friday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers.
Manager Buck Showalter said Davis' return after leaving Tuesday's game early, then taking Wednesday as a rest day leading into the team's scheduled travel day Thursday, didn't mean the Orioles were fully in the clear on an injury that has bugged the slugger on and off for the entire season.
"It won't be gone until after the season's over," Showalter said. "We got some X-rays to kind of rule out some things. It's just the constant pounding that everybody's got. … Chris is as good as he can be for this time of year."
If the thumb has been bothering Davis of late, he hasn't shown it at the plate. He homered before exiting Tuesday, his 11th in 20 games. Over that span, he batted .290 with an 1.161 OPS. Showalter said it's a credit to Davis that he has been so productive despite it, but added that he could probably add qualifiers like that to all of his players once September rolls around.
"He's not the only one, just that one you had to ask me why he came out of the game," Showalter said. "I could do the same thing with Adam [Jones]. I could do it with about six or seven other guys. Detroit could do it, too. I don't think people realized the aches and pains these guys play through seven days a week. I wish sometimes the people who did the schedule would know, but you can't make it public. A lot of these guys don't want anybody to know."
Rickard stays in Sarasota: Rookie outfielder Joey Rickard (thumb) began hitting in Sarasota, Fla., and should be ready when he's eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list on Sept. 19, Showalter said.
"I was a little surprised he didn't make it over to Tampa, and after talking to [rehabilitation coordinator] Dave Walker, he didn't know if he could or should," Showalter said. "That's probably my fault. I should have invited him. That's Rick. That's kind of how he does things."
Around the horn: As part of Major League Baseball's recognition of pediatric cancer month, several Orioles lined up with young cancer patients wearing superhero capes along the baselines for a pregame ceremony Friday. … Left fielder Hyun Soo Kim started and hit ninth, his first day in the lineup since Monday and just his third start in the Orioles' past seven games.
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