TORONTO -- Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston will need to be creative with his lineup now that outfielder Travis Snider is back in the fold and the juggling that looms may lead to some unusual batting orders.
The 22-year-old was recalled Friday, about 2 1-2 months after spraining a ligament in his right wrist, but wasn't in the starting nine as Gaston opted to stick with the same group that took three straight from the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the week.
Snider, considered one of the team's future cornerstones, will be shuffled around into different spots whenever fellow outfielders Fred Lewis, Jose Bautista, Adam Lind and Vernon Wells, third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and first baseman Lyle Overbay get a day off.
He'll likely hit in the spot of whoever he's subbing in for, including leadoff hitter Lewis.
"You know, I've thought about that here and there, and if I take Lewis out of the lineup we're not going to put Bautista in the first spot, so it might be Snider up there. He's pretty much my choice if I go that way," said Gaston. "If I have Lewis in the lineup, then Snider will go somewhere else. It's going to be a little mix and match."
Thrilled to simply be back in the majors, Snider seems ready to roll with the punches after two seasons of stops and starts at the big-league level. The wrist injury came just as he was starting to get locked in at the plate after a slow start, and he's hoping to recapture that momentum.
"It's been a roller coaster," he said. "I don't think this is the way I would've planned for it to happen or hoped for it to happen any ways, but as I learn and as I grow as a person and a player every day, you just have to be prepared for anything.
"And when that time comes, and you get the call to come back up here, it's as exciting as the first time."
Snider's injury took far longer to heal than initially expected, and the team took it slow with him to keep him from overextending himself and doing more damage. He was ready to go by the all-star break, but his return was delayed twice, first by the Blue Jays' decision to skip a Brandon Morrow start to keep his innings down, and then by the need for a spot start Wednesday from Brad Mills because of a doubleheader Sunday.
That meant his rehab assignment with double-A New Hampshire turned into a demotion there, but the move gave him extra time for fine tuning. In 20 games, he batted .296 with five home runs and 17 RBIs, and hit a game-ending homer in extra innings Wednesday.
"I didn't expect (the demotion) to happen but as you learn in this game, you have to expect the unexpected," said Snider. "I think it was a good time for me to really get things locked in and get back to swinging the bat the way I can.
"I feel good coming up here the way I left down there."
Even if it's into a complicated player rotation.
Gaston chafed when it was suggested that some people might be surprised not to see Snider in the lineup, replying, "they can be surprised all they want. Where would you like for me to put him?"
He later added that fans needn't worry, that Snider is "going to get time to play."
"I'm just trying to play everybody, that's all," he continued. "I'm trying to be fair with everyone. Even Vernon is going to be out of there sometimes. The guys will rotate around first base, third base and the outfield. Snider will get enough playing time."
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