Veteran outfielder Rajai Davis hasn't been relevant to baseball's greater landscape since the 2016 World Series. Instead he's struggled the past couple seasons to justify holding a spot on a roster. Heck, he had to settle for a minor-league deal over the winter -- and had posted just a .747 OPS in his first 37 appearances this season. Yet the New York Mets purchased Davis's contract on Wednesday after placing Brandon Nimmo on the injured list due to a neck issue. Davis then had himself a memorable day -- one that could well double as his last big hurrah.
Davis homered in his first (and only at-bat) of the night, launching a three-run shot in the eighth that gave the Mets a 6-1 lead against the Washington Nationals. Take a look at that here:
But before Davis stepped to the plate, he'd already enjoyed an entertaining day. He wasn't alerted that he needed to report to the majors until around 5 p.m. ET -- after he'd taken batting practice in Lehigh Valley. Davis did what most anyone in his cleats would do: he logged onto a ride-sharing app and summoned a driver -- "Jason," per Davis -- for the two-hour ride:
Davis didn't arrive at Citi Field until was a third of the way through the game. He got mixed up trying to locate the Mets' clubhouse after that, and wasn't able to introduce himself to his new manager and teammates until the game was halfway over:
Nonetheless, Davis took full advantage of the opportunity -- at least for one night. And for that, we tip our cap -- to him, and to Jason, who deserved a hefty tip and generous rating for his time and services.