Game Preview: Tigers At Athletics

(AP) - While the Oakland Athletics expected Ben Zobrist to provide a versatile glove and reliable bat, he hasn't been around the past month as things turned south.

The veteran may give the disappointing A's a lift should he return from the disabled list Monday when Yoenis Cespedes plays his first game in the Bay Area since joining the Detroit Tigers.

Zobrist had a .270 average with 99 home runs and 95 stolen bases while playing seven different positions for Tampa Bay from 2009-14 before Oakland (16-30) picked him up in a January trade.

The two-time All-Star batted .303 over his first eight games with the A's before going 2 for 15 over his next five. He then underwent arthroscopic knee surgery April 28 and has missed most of an 8-22 stretch after Oakland had split its first 16 games.

The A's put up just 2.3 runs per game during a 1-8 span before totaling 12 to take the last two of a four-game series at Tampa Bay. Billy Burns, Josh Reddick and Mark Canha homered in Sunday's 7-2 win.

"To turn it around the last two, it was some big wins for sure," said winning pitcher Sonny Gray, who was OK after leaving the game with a bruised right ankle.

One day shy of his 34th birthday, Zobrist now hopes to chip in well ahead of his initially projected mid-June return. It certainly seems like a good spot since Zobrist went 11 for 25 (.440) in his last six meetings with the Tigers (26-19) in 2014.

"That's the plan," manager Bob Melvin, whose club hasn't won three straight since Aug. 7-9, told MLB's official website. "You want to sit down with him and make sure he feels good about it, too."

Cespedes will be playing in Oakland for the first time since spending his first two-plus seasons with the A's. The slugging outfielder went 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI in Sunday's 10-8 home loss to Houston.

The Tigers now hit the road for seven games after splitting the series with the Astros to conclude a 3-4 homestand.

Shane Greene (4-2, 4.05 ERA) has pitched well in his last three starts, going 1-0 with a 1.40 ERA. He seemed fine Wednesday in his first outing since ulnar neuritis forced him out after five innings against St. Louis on May 15.

The right-hander allowed two runs and three hits over 6 1-3 innings but did not get a decision in a 5-2 home victory. He's never faced the A's, but Zobrist went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts against the former Yankee in their AL East matchups.

Oakland probable starter Jesse Hahn would like to turn things around after going 0-3 with a 5.96 ERA over his last four outings. The right-hander allowed three runs over six innings in Wednesday's 6-1 loss at Houston.

Hahn (1-4, 4.43) will have to deal with a red-hot Miguel Cabrera in his first look at the Tigers. Cabrera, who hit his 11th home run Sunday, is batting .413 with five homers over a 12-game hitting streak.

J.D. Martinez is also seeing the ball well, batting .400 over his last 12 games.

Shortstop Jose Iglesias will likely be a game-time decision due to a knee contusion, while A's third baseman Brett Lawrie could return after missing two games with an undisclosed injury.

The Tigers went 5-2 versus Oakland last season, winning the last four meetings.

Updated May 24, 2015