A's active with September 1 roster expansion

OAKLAND -- With the Oakland A's in postseason contention and the Sacramento River Cats in the playoffs, fewer players were added as Sept. 1 call ups. With rosters expanding from 25 men to 40, the A's re-instated pitcher A.J. Griffin and third baseman Brandon Inge from the disabled list and added shortstop Brandon Hicks and outfielder Collin Cowgill from Triple-A. All of the moves were first reported by Comcast SportsNet.Second baseman Jemile Weeks will stay in Triple-A for now, but can still be eligible for the A's playoff roster according to Major League Baseball rules. The A's felt Griffin was an obvious choice to return to the team after two rehab starts in Sacramento. The right-handed pitcher was 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in eight starts with the A's. He has been on the DL since Aug. 5 after leaving a start early with shoulder tightness on Aug. 4. Griffin became the first rookie pitcher to start his career 3-0 since Rich Harden in 2003. He will have missed a total of 24 games for Oakland. Brandon Inge returns to the team after experiencing his own variety of shoulder issues. He sprained his right throwing shoulder making a diving attempt on Aug. 11. His shoulder actually dislocated, but he was able to pop it back into the socket before finishing the game -- even collecting a go-ahead RBI single in the game after sustaining the injury. Inge missed a total of 18 games with his recent injury. He played in six rehab games for the River Cats batting .200 (4 for 20) with two doubles, one RBI and four walks. Inge said the shoulder doesn't bother him at all when hitting, but he feels occasional pain when throwing. He insists he can play through the discomfort. "It doesn't effect anything," Inge said before Friday's game. "That's the bottom line."The A's will make more roster moves down the stretch, but for now reinforcements will come in the form of Hicks and Cowgill. Both players have spent time with Oakland this season. Hicks is batting .183 (11-60) with five home runs and seven RBI in 20 games with the A's. Cowgill hit .271 (26 for 96) with one home run, nine RBI and 11 walks in 32 games in Oakland. The A's also recalled reliever Pedro Figueroa on Friday and optioned Jim Miller to Stockton. With Stockton's season ending Monday, the A's will bring Miller back on Tuesday when he is eligible to return.For the latest A's news follow @CaseyPrattCSN and @KLongworthCSN.

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