"The A's signed Hideki Matsui to stir life into their dormant offense.

But with the April 1 opener fast approaching, their marquee offseason addition has struggled to say the least.

Matsui is hitting .143 in 15 Cactus League games with one home run and two RBIs, and the homer accounts for his only extra-base hit in 42 at-bats.

Is this simply the sign of a veteran slow to round into form or a cause for concern?

Nobody in an Oakland uniform -- manager Bob Geren, hitting coach Gerald Perry or Matsui himself -- is sounding alarms.

But Matsui, 36, was signed to a one-year, $4.25 million deal in December to provide power in the middle of the lineup. Though Matsui isn't the only player who has struggled in Cactus League games, the A's offensive fortunes are tied greatly to their new designated hitter.

"The second half of the spring, he's hit the ball pretty hard," Geren said. "He's got 42 at-bats, and his last 20 or so have been real good."

After a 1-for-21 start, Matsui has taken a slight turn for the better, going 5 for 21 with four walks over his past seven games.

One major league scout who has followed the A's this spring said he doesn't put much stock in Matsui's exhibition numbers.

"You're not going to see the real guy until the regular season," said the scout, who requested anonymity.

Matsui has had company, as two other newly acquired hitters have struggled.

David DeJesus,

the A's No. 3 hitter, is batting .216 and has just one RBI in 13 games. Cleanup man Josh Willingham is batting .194 with 13 strikeouts over his previous 13 games, though he had two hits and an RBI in Tuesday's 10-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

But Matsui -- a .290 hitter who has averaged 20 homers and 85 RBIs over eight seasons -- has the potential to make the biggest impact."