Chris Davis takes swings in batting practice, expects to need short rehab stint

Players on the way back from an injury sound a lot like players in spring training. They're always in the best shape of their life and it's largely a meaningless thing to say until you start seeing results. Chris Davis, working his way back after his oblique strain, took his place in that company after some indoor batting practice Thursday afternoon:

Davis said he felt better today swinging the bat than he did before oblique injury.

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) May 8, 2014

It's better that he's positive rather than saying something like, "Yeah, guys, it's just not healing, so I think I'm going to have to retire from baseball and go meditate on top of a mountain." Saying he feels better than before the injury doesn't mean a whole lot until he starts swinging in games again.

Davis is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday, but it's not looking likely that he will do so. Both he and manager Buck Showalter have said that he's going to need a short minor league rehab stint in order to get a few at-bats and see how his body responds the next day.

The Orioles haven't announced any kind of time table for when he would go out on that assignment. He told reporters today that the next step is taking live BP on the field with the team tomorrow, so it doesn't seem like he'll be heading to a minor league team as soon as the O's return to Baltimore.

Along with swinging, Davis has been working back into baseball activities this week with running and throwing. He took grounders yesterday and reported having no pain. That's an encouraging sign. Hopefully it means that absent any setbacks, he'll be back before the end of the upcoming homestand.