MESA, Ariz. -- Ben Zobrist came to Oakland from Tampa Bay by trade in January with a reputation as a versatile player, a tough out and a selfless, team-oriented guy. In the estimation of Athletics assistant general manager David Forst, "He's a perfect fit for us."

Sometime this summer, A's manager Bob Melvin will have to resist the temptation to keep riding Zobrist and show some restraint with his new toy.

The Athletics expect that Zobrist will spend the vast majority of his time at second base this season. But as Zobrist's track record shows, he is also capable of playing shortstop and the outfield and filling in at third or first base if necessary.

"He’s the poster child for versatility," Melvin said. "We've talked recently about a lot of the in-game moves we make. He's a guy you can plug into any hole and not have to stick an infielder into the outfield, or something like that. He can save you at any position. And he's actually good in all these spots, which shows he's very athletic."

Zobrist is also quite durable. He surpassed 150 games for five straight seasons in Tampa Bay before the streak ended last year. He spent time on the disabled list in May with a dislocated thumb and appeared in 146 games.

If Melvin has a challenge, it's picking his spots to give Zobrist a breather. The natural temptation -- if third baseman Brett Lawrie or one of Oakland's outfielders needs a day off -- is simply to plug Zobrist into the lineup at that position.

"I've talked to Ben about it," Melvin said. "Sometimes it's tough to find off days for a guy like him. But he's [34] now and he's played a few years on turf [in Tampa Bay]. I'm going to have to find the off days for him, too."

He made his mark

Mark Ellis, who announced his retirement from baseball Thursday, hit 105 home runs in over 12 seasons with Oakland, Colorado, the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis. That total places him second to Jason Kubel on the career home run rankings among native South Dakotans.

But Ellis made a much bigger impact with his defense. Although he never won a Gold Glove, he earned a reputation as one of the most sure-handed, reliable middle infielders in the game. Ellis ranked third in the American League with a 2.1 Defensive War in 2003, and bettered that with a 2.7 WAR in 2008. Only Adrian Beltre provided greater value among AL defenders that season.

Ellis was also a popular, highly-respected teammate, and the mention of his name elicited warm responses from people who were around him during his tenure in Oakland. The Athletics have made it clear they have a place for Ellis in the organization once he's ready to get back in the game.

"You knew what you were going to get with him," said Oakland pitcher Barry Zito. "He was a hard-nosed guy who always kept his head down and just worked hard. I guess you could call that an 'old-school' guy. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of guys like that. They don't talk a big game. They just talk with what they do on the field. That's what it's all about."

Doolittle progressing

Oakland closer Sean Doolittle, who made the All-Star team and posted an otherworldly strikeout-to-walk ratio of 89-to-8 in 2014, is on the shelf early in spring training with a slight rotator cuff tear. He received a protein-rich plasma injection in the shoulder in mid-January, and the Athletics have already ruled him out for Opening Day.

The A's can afford to be cautious with Doolittle because they have other options. Ryan Cook saved 14 games in 2012 -- so he has some familiarity with the closer role -- and he's averaged 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings in the majors. Tyler Clippard, who came over from Washington by trade in January, has 34 big league saves and a career average of 10.0 strikeouts per nine.

Although Doolittle said he expects to be a "thorn in the side" of the trainers with requests to crank up his throwing program, he understands it's in his best interests to rehab methodically from his injury and not push things too far, too fast.

"I told the trainers, 'I don't want to know what my next milestone is,'" Doolittle said. "I don't want them to tell me I'm supposed to start throwing on 'March whatever,' and have that day roll around and me not be ready to throw.

"I told them, 'Whatever you throw up on that whiteboard, I'm going to crush it today. Then after I'm done, tell me what I have tomorrow.' I kind of like it that way. I keep my blinders on and focus on what I have to do."

Domestic violence meeting

As MLB prepares to enact a new domestic violence policy, baseball officials are meeting with players at spring training camps to deliver a primer on elements of the new policy. Thursday, it was the Athletics' turn.

"Certainly we support that," Melvin said. "With all that's going on in sports and everyday life these days, it's something that needs to be addressed. If we can school our guys on it and make them very aware of it, that's something you do to try to combat the problem."