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Jaso, Norris remain in lineup after Crisp's return

CLEVELAND -- Even with his leadoff hitter back, Oakland manager Bob Melvin still found room for both of his catchers in the lineup.

Playing without Coco Crisp made it easier for Melvin to keep John Jaso and Derek Norris in the order. But with the way they have hit, they've made themselves difficult to sit.

Designating Daric Barton for assignment left third baseman Josh Donaldson as the emergency catcher. Melvin worries less about what could go wrong with both his regular catchers playing than what goes right with the two strong hitters in there.

"Yes, sometimes I do [have reservations about playing both catchers]," Melvin said. "We have Donaldson, but I don't even like talking about [what could go wrong], to tell you the truth."

Jaso, batting .307, led off the last four games in place of Crisp, but he was moved to second after Crisp's return on Friday. With Jaso as the designated hitter, Norris and his .352 batting average were in the seven-hole.

Stephen Ellsesser is a contributor to MLB.com.
Read More: Oakland Athletics, John Jaso, Derek Norris