"Hideki Matsui is spending more time on the bench than anyone could have predicted for the A's designated hitter.

Matsui, hitting just .236 with three homers and 15 RBIs, was out of the lineup Sunday for the fourth time in the past six games.

Kurt Suzuki served as DH in a 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox, with Landon Powell catching.

The left-handed hitting Matsui is hitting .171 against lefty pitchers and came in just 3 for 16 lifetime against White Sox lefty Mark Buehrle, who started Sunday.

The A's are scheduled to face four right-handed starters in their next four games against the Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins.

"We've got a string of (right-handers) coming up, and he's going to get in there a lot," A's manager Bob Geren said.

But it appears Matsui will head back to the bench for this weekend's interleague series at AT&T Park against the Giants, when no DH is available.

Geren was asked if he envisioned Matsui getting any outfield starts in that series.

"We'll see how the next few games go," Geren said. "More than likely, not."

Geren did say he'd be comfortable using Matsui as part of double switches in interleague play.

Matsui was signed in the offseason to help anchor the middle of Oakland's lineup. It's safe to say he has yet to make the impact the A's anticipated."