There’s a DH logjam in Oakland after the Athletics brought back Frank Thomas a week ago, following his release by Toronto on April 20. The primary DH had been former Royal Mike Sweeney, who, after a slow start, was batting .357 and slugging .500 in a 12-game surge prior to Thomas’ return.

Rookie Daric Barton isn’t moving off first base, but the left-handed hitter hasn’t fared well against southpaws in the early going. Since Thomas has been added to the roster, Sweeney has started at first in place of Barton against lefties Francisco Liriano, Erik Bedard and Joe Saunders. Sweeney has held his own against both lefties and righties this spring, and he’s 4-for-12 with a double and home run as a first baseman. For now, though, he comes up on the short end of DH duty.

Meanwhile, Thomas’ slow start continues. He’s batting .195 in 24 games, and he’s been especially ineffective against left-handed pitching.

It will be interesting to see how Thomas reacts if his playing time is reduced to give at-bats to Sweeney. No matter how the playing time is divided, don’t be surprised if Oakland GM Billy Beane trades at least one of these guys for a prospect or two. Neither Sweeney nor Thomas comes with a hefty contract, so if they stay healthy and satisfied, respectively, moving them won’t be difficult.

A look at some of the ongoing positional battles around the majors is featured in Friday's edition of “Thom’s Take,” a season-long source of fantasy and prospect news provided as part of STATS Fantasy Advantage. SFA offers 2008 player projections, latest player injury info, team depth charts and more, all for the reasonable price of $19.95 for the entire season. Find out more or sign up at stats.com.