Lefty starter Dana Eveland was though of as nothing more than a throw in when the A’s acquired him from the Diamondbacks in the Dan Haren trade. But, he’s been much more than that so far this season for the A’s. Eveland won a job in the starting rotation with a good spring and he has kept it going in the games that count. Eveland has started 4 games this season for the A’s and he is 2-1 with a 1.90 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Eveland has walked 11 batters in 23.2 innings this season and he will need to throw more strikes to maintain his effectiveness.

The A’s have placed outfielder Travis Buck on the 15-day disabled list with shin splints. Buck has played in 15 games for the A’s this season and he was 10 for 65 (.154 avg, .474 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 6 RBIs. Buck has also whiffed 20 times already this season. When Buck is ready to come off the D.L. the A’s will likely send him down to the minors and make him earn his way back to the majors.

The A’s have signed 40-year old righty swinging DH Frank Thomas for the rest of this season. He was 0 for 3 with 2 walks in his debut with the A’s. Thomas played in 16 games this season for the Blue Jays and he was 10 for 60 (.167 avg, .639 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 3 homers and 11 RBIs. Thomas has now played in 2,268 games in his major league career and he is 2,419 for 8,016 (.302 avg, .979 OPS) with 1,475 runs scored, 516 homers and 1,685 RBIs. This is another low risk/high reward move for the A’s.

The A’s have claimed 27-year old righty swinging outfielder Rajai Davis off waivers from the Giants. He will give the A’s a new dimension as they don’t have much speed on their roster. Davis went 3 for 4 with a run scored in his A’s debut. Davis played in 12 games this season for the Giants and he was 1 for 18 (.056 avg, .161 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 4 stolen bases. Davis has now played in 108 games in his major league career and he is 59 for 226 (.261 avg, .695 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. This was a nice no risk move by the A’s.

The A’s have placed righty reliever Keith Foulke on the 15-day disabled list with neck stiffness. The A’s will miss Foulke in the bullpen as he has gotten off to a good start. He pitched in 7 games so far this season and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 2.57 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP.

The A’s have lost 28-year old lefty swinging 1B/DH Dan Johnson on waivers to the Rays. He played in 1 game for the A’s this season and he was 0 for 1 (.000 avg). Johnson finished his career with the A’s having played in 318 games. In those games, Johnson was 268 for 1,078 (.249 avg, .763 OPS) with 137 runs scored, 42 homers and 157 RBIs. The A’s really didn’t have much room for Johnson with Daric Barton and Mike Sweeney getting most of the at bats at 1B and DH for the A’s.

The Oakland A’s are very happy with the start that young catcher Kurt Suzuki has gotten off to this season. He has played in 13 games this year and he is 17 for 46 (.370 avg, .877 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 3 RBIs. The A’s are also impressed with the way Suzuki has been working with the pitching staff. Suzuki could be a big part of the future foundation of the Oakland A’s.

The A’s have placed righty starter Rich Harden on the 15-day disabled list with a strained back muscle. Harden has started 2 games this season for the A’s and he is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. In 11 innings so far this season, Harden has only allowed 7 hits while whiffing 15 batters. Lefty Lenny DiNardo will take over Harden’s spot in the rotation until he is ready to return. DiNardo has pitched in 3 games (1 start) for the A’s this season and he is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.06 WHIP. Righty reliever Joey Devine was recalled from the minors to take Harden’s roster spot and he has looked good so far. Devine has pitched in 2 games for the A’s this season and he is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP.

The Oakland A’s have placed Justin Duchscherer on the 15-day disabled list with a right biceps strain. He was solid in his first start of the season as he was the winning pitcher while working 5 innings and only allowed 1 earned run while striking out 6 batters. The A’s have recalled 24-year old lefty Greg Smith who was acquired in the Dan Haren trade and he will make his major league debut tonight. Smith started 22 games between AA+AAA ball last season and he was 9-5 with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Smith also was outstanding in spring training as he was one of the final roster cuts before Opening Day.

The Oakland A’s will likely be without starting 3B Eric Chavez for at least another month with a sore back. The A’s have to feel fortunate that they acquired Jack Hannahan from the Tigers last season as he has done a good job for the A’s. In 6 games for the A’s so far this season Hannahan is 5 for 19 (.263 avg, .739 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs.