OAKLAND -- The A's will be without their durable shortstop for three games, but for good reason.
Infielder Marcus Semien was placed on the paternity list ahead of Wednesday's matchup with the Rays following the birth of his second son, Joshua, with wife Tarah.
Semien is expected to rejoin the A's in Kansas City on Saturday. Utility man Chad Pinder will spell him at shortstop.
"He'll get a chance to play there, I know he's excited about it, but it is a little different when we don't have Marcus in there," manager Bob Melvin said.
Entering the day, Semien had played every inning of the A's first 55 games. He's hitting .268 with five homers and 24 RBIs.
Semien's roster spot went to right-hander Josh Lucas, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville. Back for his third stint with the big league club this season, Lucas last pitched Monday for the Sounds, tossing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
A's amped to get Davis back
Slugger Khris Davis remains on track to be activated from the disabled list Thursday, meaning "We get our sledgehammer back in the middle of the lineup," Melvin said.
Davis, who will have missed the minimum 10 days with a right groin strain, ran the bases without any issues a second straight day Wednesday.
"I don't know that I'll want him to run 100 percent the first time out of the box," Melvin said. "I want to make sure he's healthy. They put him through the rigors today, but you can't simulate getting out of the box the first time out after you've hit a ground ball to short. We don't want him to put himself in jeopardy the first time. Probably feel his way in as far as the running portion goes, but he feels good enough to be out there."
In their first nine games without Davis, the A's mustered just 15 total runs.
Said Melvin: "It's probably a combination of things, but he's part of that combination."
Worth noting
• Right-hander Andrew Triggs (triceps) began a throwing program Wednesday, playing catch for the first time since landing on the DL.
• Rehabbing reliever Liam Hendriks (hip/groin) is set to begin a rehab assignment with Nashville on Thursday.