OAKLAND -- Expectations were sky-high for Miguel Andujar this season based on his impressive Spring Training before a knee injury sidelined him for two months. Since returning, he has somehow managed to exceed those high hopes.

The torrid delayed start to Andujar¡¯s season continued in Wednesday¡¯s 5-1 win over the Royals at the Coliseum, which notched the A¡¯s back-to-back victories for the first time since a six-game winning streak from April 28-May 4. The left fielder went 3-for-5 with an RBI and is now batting .330 (30-for-91).

Andujar¡¯s three singles on the night marked his 10th multihit game. Those 10 multihit performances are the most by a player through his first 22 games with the A¡¯s since Starling Marte, who electrified the club as a 2021 midseason acquisition with 11 multihit efforts through his first 22 games.

This is the talented hitter most projected Andujar to develop into after a breakout 2018 campaign with the Yankees as a third baseman that saw him finish runner-up to Shohei Ohtani in AL Rookie of the Year voting. In the following years, though, bouts with injuries prevented him from getting enough playing time to even get a chance to replicate that level of success.

Claimed off waivers from the Pirates last November, Andujar looked forward to joining a rebuilding A¡¯s club where opportunity figured to be abundant. Now healthy, the 29-year-old is capitalizing on his chance.

¡°He¡¯s taken advantage,¡± manager Mark Kotsay said of Andujar. ¡°Injuries really impact performance. ¡­ This is the player he would have been, in my opinion, had he not had the significant injuries that he¡¯s gone through in his career. Hopefully, we¡¯ll have the remainder of this season watching him do some special things.¡±

Andujar¡¯s penchant for putting the ball in play stands out. He¡¯s struck out just 12 times in 94 plate appearances. Despite being a free swinger, he consistently makes hard contact. He registered the two hardest-hit balls of any player on Wednesday, including a scorching 110.3 mph single off Royals starter Cole Ragans in the first inning.

¡°He¡¯s just a hitter,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°You don¡¯t see these types of hitters that often currently in the game that really have bat-to-ball skills along with the ability to hit it with some force and exit velo. We talked about the impact he could have once we got him back. He¡¯s a real positive to the middle of the order.¡±

One aspect of Andujar¡¯s game that the A¡¯s were previously unaware of showed up in the fourth while he was playing defense. On a ball hit by Salvador Perez that sailed over his head, Andujar strategically played the bounce off the left-field wall, anticipating a potential try for a double. Sure enough, Perez dug for second base and was thrown out by Andujar, who fired a 90.2 mph one-hopper to second, where Zack Gelof applied the tag for the first out of the inning.

¡°Our outfield coach, Bobby Crosby, yesterday was around the cage, and Miguel came to him and said he wanted to do some throwing,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°Bobby came back to me and said he¡¯s got a really accurate arm. ¡­ He works on his defense. He takes pride in it. Moving to the outfield, there¡¯s some comfortability and less thought process. I think that impacts his offense as well.¡±

Andujar¡¯s hot bat helped Oakland overcome a tall task in Ragans, who in his two previous starts against the A¡¯s shut them down across 13 scoreless innings with just four hits and two walks allowed with 18 strikeouts. While Ragans still fared decently, the A¡¯s pushed across two early runs against the left-hander on a pair of RBI singles by Andujar and Brent Rooker in the third, which was enough support on a night that saw starter Luis Medina and the A¡¯s bullpen keep Kansas City¡¯s offense mostly in check.

¡°We did a good job being a little more patient tonight,¡± Rooker said of the offensive approach against Ragans. ¡°We got a few walks and were able to work him deeper into some counts. When you do that, you see more pitches and see the stuff more. You give him more of a chance to make mistakes and put good swings on it.¡±