During a media session with reporters prior to Saturday’s 5-1 A's win over the Rangers, manager Bob Melvin casually broke some news regarding the club’s second base situation.

“I do have one announcement for you,” Melvin said. “Jed Lowrie has been told he’s made the team. Just thought I’d throw that in there."

Return of the Jed-i.

Lowrie signed a Minor League deal with the A’s last month. He was looking to rekindle some magic after his last two injury-riddled years in New York with the Mets, and what better place than Oakland, where he’d already enjoyed major success in two previous stints and reached the apex of his career in 2018 as an All-Star. Sure enough, Lowrie found his groove again this spring.

Though he entered Saturday batting just .214 in 11 games, Lowrie checked all the boxes as far as what the A’s needed to see from him to feel comfortable extending him a spot on the Opening Day roster. The 36-year-old veteran has looked spry on defense as he returns from offseason surgery to repair his left knee. The A’s plan to exercise caution with Lowrie early in the season, but he’s shown that he's capable of handling a steady workload.

“I don’t know how many games in a row he’ll play,” Melvin said. “He can DH some. The fact that we’re running him out there every other day and he’s doing fine with it would suggest that the position is his.”

On days Lowrie needs a rest, second base duties are likely to go to either Tony Kemp or Chad Pinder, both of whom combined to form a left-right platoon at the position at the beginning of last season for the A’s.

Lowrie’s bat really came to life on Thursday against the Mariners, when he pummeled a 3-1 fastball from Seattle lefty Nick Margevicius for a big two-run homer that cleared the berm in left-center at Hohokam Stadium. Lowrie scorched the ball 106 mph off the bat, according to the stadium’s exit velocity meter.

Known to be a doubles machine in his last go with Oakland -- Lowrie racked up 86 doubles with the A’s from 2017-18 -- the second baseman fittingly smacked two doubles against the Rangers on Saturday as part of a 2-for-4 day.

“I’m just really excited for the opportunity,” Lowrie said. "I wanted to come back and help this team win, and I was able to do enough [this spring] to get that support. Now, I’ve got that opportunity."

With the A's 40-man roster currently sitting at 39 players, the open roster spot can be assigned to Lowrie, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee, though no official roster move has been made yet.

Knowing he’ll be playing on Opening Night at the Coliseum next Thursday -- his first game in Oakland since Sept. 23, 2018 -- Lowrie anticipates a feeling of nostalgia to come over him. The allowing of fans in the ballpark at 20 percent capacity should only enhance that experience.

“I said from the beginning that [Oakland] feels like home,” Lowrie said. “I’m excited to get back to the Coliseum. I’m excited that they’re going to let some fans in. I think it’ll be a fun and emotional day for me.”