The Oakland A’s, which are ninth in the majors in hitting, could get a key part of their lineup back soon. Yoenis Cespedes, the 27-year-old outfielder whose bat helped the A’s win the American League West in 2012, could begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, according to manager Bob Melvin.
Cespedes, who is recovering from a hand injury, batted .292 with 23 home runs, 82 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a .861 OPS in his rookie campaign last year. Without Cespedes, the A’s have used Seth Smith, Chris Young, Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick in the outfielder. Rookie Nate Freiman is seeing time at DH. The return of Cespedes will allow Melvin to use Smith or Young at DH.
Entering Wednesday’s afternoon series finale in Boston, the A’s owned a 13-8 record and sat a half-game behind Texas in the American League West.
