After reporting early to camp, new Braves center fielder Mark Kotsay seemed comfortable right away.

He and former Oakland A's teammate Tim Hudson considered putting Jeff Francoeur's new Under Armour equipment in a box of hand-me-downs headed to minor-league camp (they didn't go through with it).

Vino Wong/Staff Photographer (ENLARGE)

Coming off back surgery, Mark Kotsay went full speed on the first day of workouts.

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Kotsay answered more questions about his surgically repaired back, which limited him to 56 games in a career-worst season in Oakland in 2007.

"I'm fully capable of working out and doing whatever," he said after running and hitting without any apparent difficulty or restrictions during a three-hour workout with pitchers and catchers.

Unlike early arriving position players Matt Diaz and Jeff Francoeur, Kotsay was permitted to participate in on-field work because he's coming off an injury. He had surgery in March 2007, returned to the active roster June 1, then was back on the DL in August.

He said he rushed his return trying to help Oakland stay in the playoff race but was still in pain while hitting .214 with one homer in 206 at-bats. This after hitting .275, .280 and .314 in three previous seasons, with 15 homers in 2004 and again in '05.