Nevin determined to seize his moment

ANAHEIM -- When Tyler Nevin played his first series at Angel Stadium last year as a member of the Tigers, his father, Phil, was on the other side managing the Angels. It made for quite the special family affair.

The circumstances are different this year. Tyler now plays for the A’s. Phil no longer manages the Angels. Nonetheless, as someone who grew up in Poway, Calif. -- about 80 miles south of Anaheim -- playing in Southern California will always have extra meaning for the 27-year-old.

"It’s always fun to come back closer to home so those you grew up with and loved ones can come see you play,” Nevin said. “A lot of family got to see me play here last year and I had a lot of friends here tonight."

Nevin’s friends and family members had plenty to cheer for on Monday night, as Nevin shined on both sides of the diamond for the A’s in a 5-1 loss to the Angels. He provided Oakland its lone run on a 404-foot shot to straightaway center in the second inning off Griffin Canning, then went airborne for a stellar leaping grab at third base to rob Logan O’Hoppe of a hit to end the fifth.

"It was a good night,” Nevin said. “I wish it would have gone differently for us in the [final] score, but it’s always fun to play in front of loved ones."

Nevin is feeling a bit more grateful for this return trip, one he had doubts about even being a possibility about a month ago.

After he was claimed off waivers by the A’s on March 31, Nevin seized regular playing time as an outfielder on the strength of a hot stretch that saw him go on a nine-game hitting streak from April 23-May 1 that remains the longest streak by an A’s hitter so far this season.

Immediately following that impressive run, however, was his worst as a big leaguer. From May 3-26, Nevin went into a 1-for-43 slump across 15 games. He became just the 14th player in franchise history to have one hit in a 14-game stretch (minimum of 40 plate appearances), and those struggles at the plate led to him getting designated for assignment on May 28.

"It was a tough pill to swallow, for sure,” Nevin said of getting DFA’d. “I had a really tough month, and I’m just glad May is over."

While the news was quite a blow, Nevin utilized the time going through the waiver process following the DFA to return to his home in Poway and clear his mind before finding out his next step. He ended up clearing waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas on May 31.

"It actually ended up being like a week off because we had an off-day in Tampa Bay and it happened the next day,” Nevin said. “I got to take a deep breath. It wasn’t good news by any means. But you have two decisions. You can either sulk, or try to turn it into a positive. That was the decision I took."

Nevin hit the ground running upon returning to baseball with Las Vegas, hitting .296 with four homers and a .1032 OPS in 14 games. The performance was enough for the A’s to give him another shot in the big leagues, as they selected his contract from Triple-A on June 18 after J.D. Davis was designated for assignment.

"I feel like I found who I was back in Triple-A as a player,” Nevin said. “I was able to get right. … I used the opportunity to kind of get my feet back under me and reset. I’m just taking every day as it comes and trying to work hard to get better."

With Abraham Toro likely out at least through the All-Star break with a hamstring strain, Nevin has a chance to make his second stint with the A’s a longer one with regular playing time at third. It’s up to him to go out and grab it, and after a slow start since coming back up, Monday’s performance was a good step in the right direction.

"For Tyler, the rough stretch he went into before he got sent out, it was good to see him bounce back,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “The at-bats are good. … He’s getting another shot to go out there and take advantage of the opportunity."