Good chance Cespedes plays left field in Game 1

OAKLAND -- Yoenis Cespedes came out of Thursday's workouts pain-free, so the A's are expected to not only have his feared bat, but also his glove in play at the Coliseum for Friday's American League Division Series opener against Detroit (watch at 6:30 p.m. PT on TBS).

"There's a good chance you see him in left field tomorrow," manager Bob Melvin said.

Melvin, however, will wait to see how Cespedes feels Friday morning to officially decide whether placing the slugger in left field is a prudent thing to do. If he's experiencing any discomfort with his ailing right shoulder, Cespedes will likely be in the lineup at designated hitter.

In that scenario, Brandon Moss would play left field while Daric Barton handles first base. Moss becomes the DH if Cespedes plays the outfield.

"We at least have to see how he is coming into tomorrow," Melvin said. "If it's bothering him to the point where we feel like it could get worse, then we wouldn't put him in the outfield.

"We'd like to have him in left. His defense is a factor for us in left."

Cespedes has been limited to just three innings of defense since Sept. 14 because of his shoulder. But as he threw on the field Thursday for the first time in nearly a week, hitting coach Chili Davis commented, "He looked great. [The shoulder] doesn't even look like it's bothering him."