PHOENIX — Eric Chavez remains optimistic that he can play by opening day despite a setback in his shoulder rehabilitation.

The Athletics third baseman stopped baseball activities on Monday. a day after feeling right shoulder pain while swinging a bat a day.

"The big thing is getting pain free and then kind of starting over slow," Chavez said Tuesday. "Take five swings. How does that feel? Take 10 throws. How does that feel? We have to start from scratch a little bit."

Chavez may try to hit or throw Thursday or Friday. He doesn't expect to play in a game for awhile, not even as a designated hitter.

"I'm going to refrain from setting dates, but I'm going to try to recover as fast as I can and get back on the field as soon as I can, but meanwhile trying to get the shoulder healthy," he said.

Chavez, who had surgery in August, is 1-for-11 (.091) at the plate in spring training, all as a designated hitter.

"I'm kind of glad I had a stretch of at-bats first, so when I come back it's not like everybody has three weeks on me," he said. "I've been seeing some pitches. I've taken some ground balls and thrown. When I take the field it will be new, because I haven't done that in a while, but if I have a couple days where things are calmed down, I can get right back."

Notes:

SS Orlando Cabrera and INF Nomar Garciaparra could be more than a week from their first exhibition games with the A's. "We're going to take our time with them," GM Billy Beane said Tuesday. "It could be another 10 days before they get in a game. When they say they are ready, we'll probably wait a little bit longer after that. Both of them have been around long enough that they probably think spring training is too long anyway." Both players stood in for batting practice against rehabbing RHP Henry Rodriguez. It was the first time this spring training either player had seen live pitching, although Cabrera did not swing. ... Rodriguez, who had been out with a sports hernia, threw his second batting practice session. He is ready to pitch in an exhibition game, bullpen coach Ron Romanick said. ... 2B Mark Ellis, also rehabbing from right shoulder surgery, said is throwing every day. He won't play defense in a game until late March, but he said that he doesn't need much time to get ready defensively. He has been hitting.