Orioles' Chris Davis expects to return Friday vs. Cubs

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who went on the DL for a right oblique strain on June 13, expects to return to the lineup against the Chicago Cubs on Friday night.

He played in two rehab games at Class A, getting one hit, and had no lingering effects from the injury.

"It was big for me to get in game action and feel what it was going to be like to move around, do stuff at game speed and twist and turn and do all this stuff I'm going to have to do," Davis told reporters Thursday in Baltimore. "I was happy with the way I felt, and like I said, I'm ready to roll."

Davis currently is fourth on the team with 14 home runs, and he has struck out 95 times in 217 at-bats. He has a .226 batting average with 26 RBIs.

"There's a certain presence in the lineup he gives you," Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters. "... I know it's been a tough time for Chris. He was telling me the other day, it's like your buddy is in a fight and you can't help him. That's what bothered him, having to watch games. But he's got a lot of stuff behind him now. He was very cautious with it and hopefully he'll get repaid for his patience."

Davis led the majors with 53 home runs in 2013; hit 26 in just 127 games in 2014 and rebounded with 47 in 2015 before banging out 38 last year.