Recently, Gaston had the same talk with Adams, telling the Jays' top pick in the 2002 draft he'd love to keep him in Toronto but to remember that even if the Jays can't use him, another team will.

Adams, a former starting shortstop who spent 2008 in the minors, didn't take the brief, honest talk as an insult or a sign the club had given up on him. Instead, he said it showed the team's coaching staff still has faith in him.

"I'm just excited Cito is giving me the opportunity to get some at-bats," said Adams, 28. "It's all I can ask at this point, and it's going well so far."

He has shuttled between the Jays and their Triple-A farm club since 2006 but, so far this spring, Adams has made a strong case to be included on their opening-day roster. Before a strained quadriceps sidelined him Tuesday, Adams was hitting .375 with a home run and three doubles while playing shortstop, second base and left field.

Seven years into his pro career, Adams knows he won't have many more chances to prove he belongs in the big leagues.

"After having played in the major leagues, that's where you want to be. (I'll do) whatever it takes to get back there," he said.

Adams sat out yesterday's 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays but expects to play today against Detroit.

In 2002, he entered the Blue Jays system as the shortstop of the future. The previous summer, he had been named the top pro prospect in the prestigious Cape Cod summer league and the Jays selected him with the 14th overall pick in the major league draft.

But since then, the University of North Carolina grad has spent just one full season - 2005 - in the majors. By 2006, he was struggling to complete throws from shortstop to first base and spent the next two seasons splitting time between Toronto and the minors, where coaches taught him to play second base.

After a season with Syracuse, he's one of several Jays in camp this year who can play different positions. With Joe Inglett and Jose Bautista already on the roster, Adams is realistic about his chances of securing a spot.

But he also realizes he's not just hustling for a spot on the Jays, but auditioning for the rest of major league Baseball.

"I'm not sure what my role would be, playing the outfield or the infield," he said. "All that stuff is out of my control. All I can do is show up and play and hope that something good happens, whether it's here or whether it's somewhere else."