Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Brent Lillibridge entered the Braves clubhouse Tuesday morning and glanced at the lineup taped to the back of the door, just to make sure his name was listed among the reserves for the afternoon game.

"I didn't see my name on the bottom of the list," he said. "Then I saw it was at the top, and I said, 'Here we go.' "

Phil Skinner / AJC (ENLARGE)

Brent Lillibridge is vying to make the Braves roster coming out of spring training.

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Getting an unexpected start at third base and batting leadoff, he went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI in six innings of the Braves' 10-1 Grapefruit League win against Philadelphia.

Did we mention the shortstop prospect hadn't played as much as one inning at third base since the Cape Cod summer league in 2004?

"He can play, man," Braves manager Bobby Cox said of Lillibridge, a baby-faced 24-year-old who's competing for a spot on the opening day roster. "He got a bunch of hits, and what did he catch, about five or six balls with no problems?"

Lillibridge handled cleanly all four groundballs hit to him, and added a checkmark in the plus column in his bid to make the team as a "super utility" man capable of playing several positions, including both middle-infield spots and center field.

Veteran Omar Infante, whom the Braves acquired for that role in a December trade, is recovering from a broken hand and will likely spend at least the first week of the season on the disabled list.

When third baseman Chipper Jones tweaked a hamstring Sunday, it was a reminder that the Braves better have a capable backup ready, preferably someone who can provide some offense.

"Infante's not going to be able to open with us, so we need to fine someone who can play third," Cox said. "Lilly can play third, maybe center field ... he does everything pretty good. He's got speed, good hands, got some power — what did he have last year, 15 [home runs]?"

He's generously listed as 5-feet-11 (that must be in cleats) and 192 pounds (that's got to be soaking wet). And notwithstanding the stubble he's proud to have recently grown on his chin, he honestly looks like he should be playing high school ball.

"It's amazing he looks so young, because he's married and went to college and everything," Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson said. "But he can play. He's strong."

Martin Prado has played second and third in the majors, but doesn't play shortstop or center field — and he never hit like Lillibridge, who had 26 homers and 95 stolen bases in his first two full seasons of minor league ball.

He was rated the Braves' No. 6 prospect after totaling 13 homers and 42 stolen bases at two levels in his first season in the organization. Lillibridge came from Pittsburgh along with reliever Mike Gonzalez in the January 2007 trade for Adam LaRoche.

Lillibridge hit his stride after a June 1 promotion to Class AAA Richmond, batting .287 with 10 homers, 28 stolen bases and 41 RBIs in 87 games despite playing much of that time with a sore wrist. He didn't want to go on the disabled list.

"He's a workaholic type kid, and he wants to get better," hitting coach Terry Pendleton said of Lillibridge. "He knows how to play the game. He's got baseball savvy. I have confidence in him, absolutely."

Although Lillibridge played center field for much of two seasons at the University of Washington, he's considered a natural shortstop with a bright future at the position. But with Yunel Escobar at shortstop for the Braves, Lillibridge knows his path to the majors could depend on versatility.

"The great thing is that Bobby has been doing the right thing in these situations for so many years," Lillibridge said. "He has a great eye for players and putting them where they can be successful. Like putting me at third today to see how I react.

"I'm just going out there trying to relax and enjoy it, see how I react. I'm getting ready for the season, and I want to be here to help this team try to win the NL East. But if I'm not here, then I'll go and have a ridiculous [big statistics] year in Triple-A."