Cespedes making better adjustments at plate

BOSTON -- Yoenis Cespedes may not be back to 100 percent yet, after suffering a strained left hamstring last week. But his swing is looking mighty healthy.

Oakland's outfielder, who got the start at designated hitter on Saturday in Boston, entered the day with four hits in six at-bats since returning from the injury.

"He feels good with his mechanics, right now," said manager Bob Melvin. "Even with the days off, he was still working in the cage. One of the things I think goes unnoticed with him is how hard of a worker he is. He sometimes overdoes it, as far as his work in the cage. His swings have been great."

Red Sox righty Clay Buchholz threw a 2-1 cutter that Cespedes swung through on Friday night. Buchholz came back with two straight fastballs, both of which Cespedes fouled off, before challenging him with the same cutter the outfielder had just missed badly on.

Cespedes drove the ball in the gap for a double, his third in his last two games.

"That's the type of things we saw him do in 2012, too, when he didn't know the league as well and he had to make adjustments from at-bat to at-bat and, really, in the middle of at-bats," said Melvin. "That's what he did yesterday, and it seems he's making those adjustments better again."