The Oakland Athletics called up Barry Zito from Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.

Zito pitched seven seasons for Oakland from 2000-06, going 102-63 with a 3.53 ERA and winning the AL Cy Young Award after a dazzling 23-5 campaign in 2002.

The left-hander, who didn't pitch in 2014, attempted to make Oakland's major league club during spring training but was assigned to Nashville.

David Forst told the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday that Zito was called up strictly to pitch in relief and would not make any starts for the A's.