Davis working toward quick return to Mets

NEW YORK -- If nothing else, Ike Davis appears to be taking his demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas in stride.

Davis officially reported to Las Vegas on Tuesday, spending his pregame hours hanging around the cage with his new manager, Wally Backman. After departing Citi Field on Sunday without addressing his demotion, Davis discussed it at length for the first time Tuesday.

"You don't ever want to come back to the Minor Leagues after playing in the big leagues for three straight years," the first baseman told reporters in Vegas. "But sometimes there are blips in the road, and you've just got to go through it and come out stronger and be a better baseball player."

Across the country in New York, Mets manager Terry Collins said he did not know if Davis needed to tweak his swing, make wholesale changes, or simply gain a little confidence in the desert. But he did say he expects Davis to be back before long.

Davis, not surprisingly, feels the same way.

"I've proven I can get hot in a couple of months and totally turn things around," he said. "That's hopefully what I do here."