Outfielder Ben Revere, a presence in Angels’ clubhouse, gets a hit in his first start

As the rain came down before Thursday’s game at the Oakland Coliseum, Angels outfielder Ben Revere emerged from the visitors’ dugout, hopped up the steps to the field, and walked toward the batting cages beyond the outfield.

“Day 1, baby,” Revere said. “Day 1.”

It was not opening day, but it was his first start of the season, and that was cause for his good mood. Revere pinch-hit with two outs in the ninth inning on opening day, as the potential tying run. He grounded out.

On Thursday, he singled once in four at-bats in the Angels’ 5-1 loss to the Athletics.

Though it’s unclear how often Revere will play behind left fielder and fellow offseason acquisition Cameron Maybin, his presence looms large in the clubhouse, belying his 5-foot-9 frame.

Already, he has proved to be vocal and inclusive, regularly singing along to the pop songs that fill the airspace in modern baseball clubhouses. He shows his teammates funny videos he finds on his phone.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said all spring that he would find ways to pencil Revere into his lineup.

“If you look at where Ben’s gonna get starts, he’s gonna get his share,” Scioscia said Thursday. “Today’s a good day to just get him in there and get him some at-bats.”

Scioscia said Oakland starter Andrew Triggs’ split-finger pitches favored left-handed hitters, but that was not the sole reason he elected to start Revere.

”The configuration of our bench is different than it’s been in the last couple years,” Scioscia said. “We have guys who could be playing every day and need to play some. We’re going to use them accordingly, to keep some guys fresher in our lineup and also keep the guys on the bench fresh to where they can contribute.”

Richards to undergo MRI

Right-hander Garrett Richards will undergo an MRI examination Friday in Southern California after he exited his 2017 debut Wednesday with what was diagnosed as a right biceps cramp.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said the exam is for precautionary purposes. Scioscia had said after Wednesday’s game that there were no plans for Richards to undergo an MRI.

A year ago, Richards was diagnosed with dehydration after prematurely exiting a start in Texas. Four days later, the team revealed he had a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.

Richards opted to repair the tear with a stem-cell injection rather than ligament replacement surgery, and Wednesday marked his regular-season return from the treatment.

“They’re confident this is not connected to his other situation last year,” Scioscia said Thursday.

Richards’ next scheduled start is on Tuesday at Angel Stadium against Texas.

Short hops

The Angels expect first baseman Luis Valbuena to begin running on the field next week. Valbuena suffered a hamstring injury in March and is expected back until around the end of this month. … Right-hander JC Ramirez was not available out of the bullpen Thursday after he logged eight outs in relief the night before. “If a guy is pitching into a third inning and needs two days of rest, that’s still a plus,” Scioscia said. “You’re saving two guys from pitching in that game.”

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura