Pretty soon, Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane is going to need to hold a Passover seder in the team’s clubhouse.
The A’s now have three Jewish players on their 40-man roster after acquiring first baseman Ike Davis in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Nov. 23.
The A’s are set to head into spring training with Davis, first baseman Nate Freiman and outfielder Sam Fuld. Another Jewish player, minor league pitcher Jeff Urlaub, also will be looking to make the team.
Davis, 27, began last season with the New York Mets and batted .208 in 12 games before being traded to Pittsburgh. The left-handed hitting Davis finished 2014 with a .233 batting average, 11 homers and 51 RBIs in 143 games.
Davis, whose given name is Isaac Benjamin Davis, joins a glut of first basemen on the A’s roster: Brandon Moss, Stephen Vogt, Billy Butler, Kyle Blanks and Freiman.