Baltimore Orioles: Orioles arrange MRI for Chris Davis’s hand

Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis experienced discomfort in his hand for most of the 2016 season. Will a scheduled MRI give the Orioles a reason why?

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis experienced discomfort in his hand for most of the 2016 season. Now, the Orioles will send Davis in for an MRI with hopes of getting an answer.

Davis never went on the disabled list during the season, and the Orioles want to make sure he won’t need surgery which could hinder his availability during Spring Training.

Due to the injury, Davis’s power stroke came in waves. Davis homered in five consecutive games from July 7th to July 12th and went homerless in 11 straight games. He then homered in five of his next seven games and went on another homerless streak of 19 games. He finally hit five homers in a four-game span from August 17th to August 20th.

Davis started September by hitting five home runs in his first nine games, but went homerless in his last fifteen and the Wild Card game.

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When asked about his hand on October 6th, manager Buck Showalter said the following to MASNSports.com.

"There’s so many things like that that are going on, you’re always careful about telling truths that hurt innocent people. And Chris wanted nobody to look at it as an excuse.He had some discomfort there and it was a challenge for him the last couple months of the season.We did the X-rays and everything. It’s just sometimes you’re in a sport where you can’t give something time to get back to 100 percent and I could stay that about probably 10 or 15 guys.”"

Despite hitting 38 home runs and driving in 84 runs, Davis’s slash line dropped sharply from 2015;  in 2015, Davis hit .262/.361/.562 while in 2016, Davis hit .221/.332/.459.

Davis is entering the second year of a $161 Million contract, and the Orioles would like to have him healthy. Which is why the Orioles would like to have a conclusive reason as to why he suffered from hand discomfort.

Other Injury Notes

• The Orioles announced they don’t expect outfielder Joey Rickards to have surgery on his right thumb. Rickards tore a ligament in his thumb on July 20th after colliding with the right field fence at Yankee Stadium. A second opinion furthered the team doctors prognosis and suggested rest throughout the offseason. The Orioles hope Rickards will be ready for Spring Training.

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• Darren O’Day avoided surgery on his right rotator cuff after he was reinstated from the disabled list on September 21. O’Day made four appearances after his stint on the disabled list, and he pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in the Wild Card game.