--3B Eric Chavez hit on the field for the first time since going on the DL with a sore right shoulder in early July. He said the shoulder didn't bother him too much, but he is not as encouraged about his throwing. Chavez expects a decision in the next week or so about whether he will return to action this year and in what capacity.
--DH Frank Thomas (quadriceps) ran out of the batter's box and ran the bases and said everything went well. Thomas will do the same again on Tuesday, and a decision will be made whether to send him on a rehab assignment on Wednesday. Thomas is hopeful that he can avoid a rehab assignment. --DH Mike Sweeney, who had arthroscopic surgery on both knees June 11, might be sent on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday and then join the A's in Detroit next week. Sweeney ran the bases for the first time during his rehab, and afterward he called it "a challenge." Sweeney will hit against Keith Foulke in a simulated game on Tuesday.
--RHP Keith Foulke (shoulder) will throw a simulated game Tuesday. Foulke will start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. He has been out since July 3 with inflammation in his right shoulder, his second stint on the DL this year.
--RHP Joey Devine (elbow strain) began his rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Monday. The reliever started the game at Round Rock (Texas) and gave up three hits and three earned runs and struck out three in one inning. Ray Sadler hit a two-run homer off Devine, who will pitch again for Sacramento on Thursday.
--1B Daric Barton is batting .211 at Triple-A Sacramento and he continues to have some neck stiffness, according to A's manager Bob Geren. Barton is eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday, but he is likely to remain with the River Cats for several more days and rejoin the A's at some point on their trip.
BY THE NUMBERS: .221 -- Oakland's batting average over an 11-game stretch starting the weekend before the All-Star break, and the team dropped nine of those games to fall into third place in the AL West.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "The way my shoulder has been, I don't really see it getting better. At best, it's going to be maintained. The rest of this year and the beginning of next year will tell the story for the rest of my career." -- A's third baseman Eric Chavez on the prognosis for his sore right shoulder, which has kept him on the DL since early July. He had surgery on shoulder in September.
