CLEVELAND -- Coco Crisp is headed back to his first baseball home.
Crisp, a switch-hitting outfielder, is returning to the Cleveland Indians, who agreed Wednesday to a trade with the Oakland Athletics, the teams announced. By making it official Wednesday, Crisp, 36, will be eligible for the postseason.
In return, the A's will receive left-hander Colt Hynes, 31, who is 3-1 with a 3.99 ERA in 38 appearances for four minor league teams this season.
The Indians entered Wednesday leading the AL Central by 4½ games.
Crisp tweeted about his excitement at returning to the Indians on Wednesday.
I'm EXCITED to be returning to Cleveland, where it all began. Oakland!!! #RaiderNation for life #Bittersweet pic.twitter.com/dXzwWj6Op0
— Covelli Crisp (@Coco_Crisp) August 31, 2016
Crisp is scheduled to join the Indians on Thursday and will officially be added to the roster Friday.
"He's got history here in Cleveland, I have history with him, so I think that makes adding somebody at this time in the season a lot easier,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. "We've been through so much as a team, and we want to remain a team. I think Coco has a really good chance of sliding in here and being a part of what we're doing really quickly.''
Crisp spent his first four seasons in the majors with the Indians and became a fan favorite because of his catchy name, hustle and happy-go-lucky attitude. Cleveland traded him to Boston after the 2005 season.
With left fielder Michael Brantley done for the season after surgery and Abraham Almonte ineligible for the playoffs with a PED suspension, the Indians have been looking for outfield depth over the season's final month, and perhaps into October.
Crisp is batting .234 with 11 homers and 47 RBIs in 102 games this season for the A's, who are in last place in the AL West.
Crisp, who played for Francona with the Red Sox, has plenty of playoff experience, having appeared in 31 postseason games and one World Series.
A .266 career hitter, Crisp had been with Oakland since 2010, making him the longest-tenured player on the A's roster. The trade comes two weeks after Crisp told the San Francisco Chronicle he felt the A's had reduced his playing time in order to keep his $13 million option for next season from vesting.
"Coco's been here a long time, he's been in the game a long time,'' A's general manager David Forst said. "Nobody begrudges him saying what he feels. Obviously we disagreed. Clearly it wasn't a situation where we had to get rid of him. He was still helping us against right-handed pitching, and it's not like he was a problem in the clubhouse.
"No, didn't feel like we had to do something. I'm not sure we necessarily would have if this opportunity had not come up.''
Indians president Chris Antonetti said Cleveland was up front with Crisp about his playing time.
"The way he'll likely be used here won't get him enough plate appearances or games to have that option vest, and Coco was good with that,'' Antonetti said. "He understood that.''
In addition to Hynes, whose contract was purchased by the Indians from the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 3, the A's also recalled Joey Wendle from Triple-A Nashville.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.