Dunedin– It’s hard to find a player on the Blue Jays roster that has endured more disappointment than Jose Bautista the last two seasons.

  After the former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder missed only 14 games in 2010-11, a wrist injury that required surgery limited Bautista to just 90 games in 2012 and a badly bruised left hip last year forced him out of Toronto’s lineup for the final month of the regular season.

  This year, the four-time All-Star wants to prove he can stay healthy and return to being the player that set a club-record with 54 home runs in a season four years ago.

  “I know that both injuries that I’ve had — the ones that have actually took me out of the lineup for an extended period of time — were from impact plays or just a freak accident with the wrist,” Bautista said.

  “It’s not because I was neglecting my training regime or anything like that. But it is disappointing and it is upsetting that I don’t get to go out there and finish the season with the team and finish strong.”

  Bautista said he began preparations for 2014 early in the offseason and spent time working out in Tampa with teammate Melky Cabrera, who dealt with injuries of his own that led to the discovery of a benign tumor in his spine.

  The tumor was surgically removed in September.

  “It was kind of easy and natural and we just decided to start earlier than we normally do,” Bautista said. “We are both coming off injuries and we wanted to try to get into the best shape of our lives before spring training started.”

  For manager John Gibbons, one of the biggest hurdles that came with Bautista’s absence at the end of last season wasn’t just his bat or defense — it was the loss of his natural leadership abilities on the field and inside the clubhouse.

  But after the first full-squad workout of the spring Friday morning, Gibbons said Bautista didn’t show any signs of rust.

  “I think Jose is a natural leader … we’ve just got to keep him healthy,” Gibbons said. “He’s been banged up a little bit the last couple of years, finished the season on the (disabled list). We need him for a good six months.”

  Bautista wants the same for his teammates.

  He said if everyone can remain injury-free, he’s optimistic that this year’s club will be contenders for the American League East title.

  “Injuries went the wrong way for us and, actually that’s been the case for the last two years,” Bautista said. “If it’s luck, if it’s whatever it might have been, hopefully it changes this year. The only thing we need is to remain healthy. If that’s taken care of, everything else is going to fall into place.”