Daric Barton said he added 15 pounds of muscle and shed 10 pounds of fat due to a strenuous offseason regimen.

Barton's prior weight had been noticeable around the clubhouse. Teammate Dallas Braden used to call him "little baby polar bear." No longer. Now Barton has "never felt so good swinging the bat" and is showing more pop at the plate. If he remains in shape, the light-hitting first baseman has a decent shot of exceeding his career high 10 home runs from last season.

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Athletics have re-hired Gerald Perry as hitting coach.

Perry previously served as hitting coach the last time the Athletics made the playoffs in 2006. He replaces Jim Skaalen, who was the hitting coach over the past two seasons. The A's also added Joel Skinner to the staff as a bench coach, with Tye Waller moving to first base coach.

Athletics general manager Billy Beane told Jane Lee of MLB.com that he intends to stick with Daric Barton at first base.

"...He showed himself to be, in my opinion, the best first baseman in the league," said Beane. "He's also made significant strides offensively. I was quite pleased with what he did there this year, and I have no intention of taking him off first base." Barton, 25, batted .273/.393/.405 with 10 homers and 57 RBI this season -- modest offensive totals for a first baseman -- but his fantastic defense makes his contributions far more valuable. Beane intends to add some power to his lineup, but with first base off limits, the best-case scenario might be continued progression from internal options like Chris Carter.

Daric Barton returned to action on Sunday October 3.

Daric Barton appeared as a pinch hitter in Sunday's game, missing the start because of leg tightness.

Barton is a small-ish guy for a first baseman (6'0", 218 pounds), and he seemed to struggle with nicks and cuts late in the year. He did put up 685 plate appearances, though, and his combination of plus defense and excellent plate discipline led to a .274/.394/.405 that was probably more useful in real-life baseball than fantasy ball. He might up the power a little bit next year, but he'll never be even an average first baseman when it comes to the long ball, so his fantasy upside is limited.

Daric Barton left Saturday's game due to leg tightness.

It's the same injury that bothered him for most of September. Barton may get a pinch-hit appearance in Sunday's season finale, but he's highly unlikely to start. The 25-year-old first baseman has hit .274/.394/.405 this season with 10 home runs and 57 RBI in 552 at-bats.

Daric Barton returned to action on Saturday October 2.

Daric Barton was pulled from Saturday's game with an apparent injury.

That, or the A's want to rest the first baseman because of issues he's had recently with a tight right quad muscle. Barton is batting .274/.394/.405 with 10 homers in 552 at-bats and could be done for the season.

Daric Barton left Friday's game against the Mariners in the seventh inning with a tight right quad muscle.

He was replaced by Jeff Larish in the bottom of the seventh inning. At least Barton did plenty of damage while he was in there, going 3-for-4 with a two homers and a career-high six RBI, including the first grand slam of his career. Barton is more valuable in real-life than he is in fantasy baseball, but he is still batting .274 with a .395 on-base percentage to go along with 10 bombs, 56 RBI, seven stolen bases and 79 runs scored.

Daric Barton is out of Wednesday's starting lineup against the White Sox.

Barton left Tuesday's game with a left thigh contusion and is currently listed as day to day. Jeff Larish will play first base Wednesday and bat eighth against Edwin Jackson.

Daric Barton exited Tuesday's game against the White Sox after five innings due to a left thigh contusion.

Barton suffered the injury on a head-first slide into home plate in the third inning. It's probably safe to call him day to day.

Daric Barton is out of the starting lineup for Thursday afternoon's game against the Yankees.

He'll take a seat against the lefty C.C. Sabathia. Jeff Larish will start at first base in his place.

Daric Barton knocked in two runs Friday in the Athletics' 4-3 defeat of the Rays.

Barton may need to step it up a bit to guarantee he remains in Oakland's plans for 2011. He's been getting on base 40 percent of the time this month, but going into tonight, he had just two RBI in 16 games. For the season, he has five homers and 42 RBI in 425 at-bats.

Daric Barton was not in the lineup Monday night as he continues to struggle with a shoulder that he calls 'jammed.'

It's worrisome that he has felt the injury, aggravated while sliding into second base on Sunday, for a week and that he's calling it a jam compared to the team's 'spasms' terminology. Barton said he felt okay after batting practice, though, so maybe he'll be fine.

Daric Barton left Sunday's game in the fifth inning with left shoulder spasms.

He was hurt advancing to first base on an error by Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus. Landon Powell entered the game as a replacement. Consider Barton day-to-day.

Daric Barton is in Friday's starting lineup against the Indians.

Barton left Thursday's game with a right knee contusion, but feels well enough to start. He'll bat second against Mitch Talbot.

Daric Barton exited Thursday's game with a right knee contusion.

Barton suffered the injury while sliding into second base trying to break up a double play. He was replaced by Adam Rosales. Consider Barton day-to-day for now until more is known.

Daric Barton doubled three times and drove in four runs Saturday versus the Pirates.

Barton has just four homers, but he's up to 20 doubles in 272 at-bats. With his on-base percentage, that's enough power to keep him in the lineup.

Daric Barton went 3-for-3 with a triple, a double and a sac fly Monday versus the Mariners.

Barton went hitless in four straight, so his average was down to .263. However, he's getting on base 40 percent of the time and showing just enough power to make one think he'll last as Oakland's first baseman. There should be room for both him and Chris Carter in the team's long-term plans.

Daric Barton homered in the 11th and singled in a run in the 13th to lead the A's to a 7-6 win over the Rangers on Tuesday.

Tyson Ross couldn't hold the one-run lead in the bottom of the 11th, so the game went on. He stuck around long enough to get the win, though, after Barton again put Oakland on top by driving in Landon Powell. Barton is 10-for-26 with seven runs scored and six RBI in his last six games.