Callaspo looks to prove himself with first A's base hit

CINCINNATI -- Perhaps A's fans are still waiting to see what they have in Alberto Callaspo, who is hitless in his first 10 at-bats since being traded to Oakland from the Angels with just a .087 clip to his name since the break.

But his new teammates and manager already know all about his ability.

"He's hit the ball very hard a couple times and hasn't had anything to show for it," manager Bob Melvin said. "When you're with your new team, you want to get that first hit out of the way and show everyone what you have to offer. But he has. Everyone knows, has played enough against him to know he's a professional guy from both sides of the plate."

Callaspo will continue to share duties with Eric Sogard at second base, where Melvin plans to stick to a pretty strict platoon. However, having an everyday player such as the versatile Callaspo around also means Melvin can let some of his other infielders rest every now and then.

Rest isn't exactly in Josh Donaldson's vocabulary, as the third baseman has played in all but two of the A's 112 games this season. And even though his offensive numbers have dropped in recent weeks, in the midst of an 11-for-56 stretch, Donaldson still isn't tiring. At least he doesn't look like he is, Melvin said.

Still, an off-day may be on the horizon for the third baseman. Sort of.

"We try to monitor him pretty closely," Melvin said. "There are always a couple of players on each team they rely on to play every day. He is one of those guys we expect to be out there every day. He wants to be one of those guys as well, but maybe giving him a DH day coming up here quickly could probably help too."

When that happens, Callaspo will be at third, the position he manned on an everyday basis for the Angels before last week's trade.

"He'll get plenty of at-bats and not just at second base," Melvin said. "We still feel like he's a very good fit here, even though he doesn't have anything to show for it offensively yet."