DETROIT — Sonny Gray had the shortest outing of his big-league career Wednesday, and he was so off that he didn’t even argue to stay in as he usually does.

Gray threw 25 pitches in the first inning, 40 in the second on a 45-degree night, and manager Bob Melvin got him out of the A’s eventual 9-4 loss to the Tigers. “That’s our guy and we want to make sure he’s healthy next time around,” said Melvin, adding that he didn’t even give Gray the option of coming back out.

“That was two very, very long innings I kind of brought on myself,” Gray said. “Physically, I feel fine, I just didn’t have anything today.”

The All-Star said even when he wanted to throw it right down the middle, he couldn’t, so he’ll spend the next few days working out what happened and, he said, “I’m really looking forward to five games from now.”

Gray allowed two hits and four runs, three of them on J.D. Martinez’s homer in the second, plus four walks.

With Gray exiting early, the A’s could have used extra reliever Andrew Triggs, but he was sent down earlier in the day to make room for .188 hitting minor-league catcher Matt McBride, who had an opt-out in his contract had he not come up and who was preparing to accept a deal in Japan. McBride will be sent down Friday when Sean Manaea is recalled.

Victor Martinez a three-run homer off Liam Hendriks and the A’s got a mammoth homer in the fourth when Kris Davis obliterated a pitch from Justin Verlander, hitting it out near the Al Kaline statue on the walkway above the wall in left center; longtime Detroit reporters couldn’t recall any other balls hit there.

“I was here when this place opened and I’ve never seen one up there, and that was the summer,” Melvin said. “It was a cold night. The ball went a long way.”

The A’s scored twice in the seventh; Billy Butler, a career .402 hitter against Verlander, hit an RBI double and Coco Crisp an RBI single. Davis tripled and scored on a single by Jed Lowrie in the eighth.

McBride confirmed that he had had an offer to play in Japan and that his callup eliminated his opt-out. “I’m happy to be here,” he said. “I knew it would be one or the other, and I think everyone wants to get the chance to play in the big leagues.”

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

On deck

Thursday

at Tigers

10:10 a.m. MLB

Bassitt (0-1)

vs. Sanchez (2-2)

Friday

vs. Astros

7:05 p.m. CSNCA

Fiers (2-1)

vs. Manaea (0-0)

Saturday

vs. Astros

1:05 p.m. CSNCA

Devenski (0-0)

vs. Graveman (1-2)

Leading off

Harbaugh on hand: Bob Melvin’s pal Jim Harbaugh, now Michigan’s football coach, spent time chatting with Melvin in the manager’s office Wednesday, said hi to players in the clubhouse and watched some of batting practice with Hall of Famer Al Kaline.

— Susan Slusser