Greg Creek knows his role with the Atlanta Braves won't change. Thanks to a left hamstring injury, it appears his uniform won't either when minor league camp ends Sunday.

"The way I see it falling, I'm probably going to Double-A," said Creek, a 2001 Maranacook Community High School graduate. "It's still up in the air, but I'll find out soon."

Creek played 119 games last season with the Mississippi Braves, Atlanta's Double-A affiliate. He hit .268 and finished with a career-high 351 at-bats for Mississippi, which won the Southern League championship. Creek also hit six home runs and knocked in 55 runs while playing mostly as a backup first and third baseman.

However, knee and hand injuries cut his season short. Now, the 2001 Mr. Maine Baseball recipient is coping with another injury, this one suffered two weeks ago.

"It was my 10th at-bat of the spring and I was rounding first on a double," Creek said. "I felt a little pull. So, I've been battling that. I've had enough injuries so I know how to deal with them. It's just another thing you don't want to have. Unfortunately, it's bad timing."

Kurt Kemp, director of player development for the Atlanta Braves, said the organization values Creek, who graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 2005. Kemp added there's a chance Creek could be assigned to the club's Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Ga.) Braves.

"He got off to a typical Greg Creek spring -- just working hard," Kemp said. "But the hamstring has slowed him. He came in here to compete for a job, as he has for the last few years. He was a great part of the championship club in Mississippi last year. We haven't made any final decisions. He could go back to Mississippi or to Gwinnett. We anticipate he'll have a defined role in the next few days."

Creek expects to play in a minor league game as early as today. He hopes to get at least 10 more at-bats before camp breaks.

"I don't have my timing down, which is unfortunate," he said. "It usually takes a little bit. I had 10 at-bats and I was starting to see the ball well before I got hurt. Timing can take a week or so to get back because nothing can simulate a live pitch in a game."

Like last season, Creek expects to play at third and first again.

"His ability to swing the bat is his biggest strength," Kemp said. "He's always been a productive hitter in the organization. He can hit wherever in the lineup, too. He's very versatile."

Creek, whom the Braves signed as a non-drafted free agent on June 30, 2005, understands his role as a backup. He hopes to earn as many at-bats as he did last season, although staying healthy for a full season is of equal importance.

"It's luck of the draw for me," he said. "I'll be in a backup role, but I'll do anything I can do to help the team win. Last year I fell into 30 starts at third base, which got me another 100 at bats. Maybe that will happen again. It's a battle every year to get at-bats. But someone can get hurt tomorrow, God forbid, so it's important for me to be ready every day. You need to produce every time you get into a game, whether you get one at-bat or four.

"But staying healthy is the whole idea for me. It's what I've had to do for four years."

Added Kemp: "Our goal for him is to have a good, healthy season and continue to do the things the way he's done them in the past."

As for his chances of reaching the major leagues?

"Hey, as long as you still have a uniform, you always have a chance," Kemp said.

And that, Creek said, is all he wants.

"No one wants to play baseball at the minor league level," he said.

Bill Stewart -- 623-3811, ext. 515

bstewart@centralmaine.com