PEORIA, Ariz. -- Through the first 17 games of the 2019 season, Khris Davis did exactly what earned him the “Khrush” moniker that has now become synonymous with his name: He mashed home runs. Ten of his first 68 at-bats ended with a jog around the bases. But then, he hit just two homers over his next 34 games, with both of those coming in the same outing.

“There’s nothing that I regret about last season, I just don’t think that I was healthy,” said Davis, who made his first Cactus League appearance of the season as the designated hitter in Tuesday's 9-6 loss to the Padres after having been temporarily hampered by a left calf ailment early in camp.

Davis went 1-for-2, lacing a line-drive single to right-center field in the fourth before promptly being lifted for a pinch-runner.

From 2017-18, only Giancarlo Stanton hit more home runs across the Majors than Davis, who walloped 91 homers in that span, including an MLB-high 48 in ’18. Then, seemingly over the course of a few months, right-handed pitching began to flummox Davis as it never had before. He hit just .197 with a .589 OPS against righties last season, despite continuing to mash lefties at a clip of a .918 OPS.

While Davis’ focus appears entirely set on 2020 -- “I don’t really think about last year.” -- manager Bob Melvin took a shot at delving into Davis’ psyche:

“It wears on you,” Melvin said of Davis’ struggles. “He’s an accountable guy. He’s a big part of our lineup and he wanted to contribute like he normally did; it can get you down a little bit.”

For a player who gained national notoriety for his staggering consistency, hitting exactly .247 in four consecutive years, Davis’ downturn was drastic. After finishing in the top one percent of the Major Leagues each season from 2016-18 in barrel percentage, Davis’ total cratered to just 10.1 percent last year, by far the lowest mark of his career.

With that in mind, what can the A’s expect from their designated hitter in 2020?

“[To hit] .247, [hit] 42 [home runs],” Melvin quipped.

“Everybody has a tough year,” the skipper continued. “We talked a lot about the fact that he had a couple of injuries. He wasn’t injured at the end, yet sometimes it’ll affect your mechanics, your psyche, stuff like that. It was the first time in a while that he had to go through what he had to go through last year, so I know that he’s looking forward to having the type of year that he typically has.”

The 845 runs that Oakland scored as a group last season marked the club's highest total since 2001. That level of production -- which placed the A's fifth in the American League in runs scored -- came with Davis admittedly at less than 100 percent. A season of “typical” production from Davis could pay significant dividends, ones which would keep the A’s in contention in an AL West crowded with offensive thump.

For Davis, his outlook on what he hopes to achieve this upcoming season is much more succinct:

“Just stay healthy and help contribute and win.”