Blue Jays activate catcher Zaun from disabled list

Toronto Blue Jays activated Gregg Zaun from the 15-day disabled list Sunday.

Now they find themselves trying to figure out how to divide playing time between him and fellow catcher Rod Barajas.

Zaun went on the DL May 27 with a right elbow injury and was batting .264 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 41 games. Barajas took over the starting job in his absence and hit .321 (17-for-53) with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 16 games.

On Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, Zaun was the designated hitter, while Barajas got the start behind the dish in a lineup stacked with right-handed hitters to face the lefty Ted Lilly.

As for Monday and beyond, manager John Gibbons was vague about his plans.

"We'll just put the guy out there we think can help us win that day," he said.

Catcher Curtis Thigpen was optioned to triple-A Syracuse to make room for Zaun, who was initially expected to be activated Friday. But rain delayed his rehab outings with Syracuse.

He made two appearances there, hitting .250 (2-for-8) with a solo home run, testing out his arm in a game Saturday.

"I'm throwing the ball crisp and I don't have any pain," he said.

Happy to be back with his team, Zaun added that he wasn't going to worry about how the  situation behind the plate would play out.

"My situation is what it is," he said. "For now, I'll play when my name's in the lineup.

"I don't have control over when or how much I'm going to play. My best guess, is I'm probably not going to catch four or five days in a row coming back off a fresh arm injury.

Zaun, a switch-hitter, gives the Blue Jays a left-handed option behind the plate against tougher right-handers. He received a majority of playing time before the injury and is hoping to get his bat going now that he's back.