SARASOTA, Fla. -- Outfielder Carlos Gomez doesn't often let injuries keep him from the field or slow him down in anything he does.

But a sore back has kept him out of the Twins' lineup since Saturday -- not that he wanted to sit out, he said on Thursday. He said that he took it easy this week because the trainers were telling him that it was best not to push it.

"I'm ready," Gomez said. "My back is feeling good. I'll be playing [on Friday]."

Gomez has been eager to get back on the field, so he was at Hammond Stadium on Wednesday -- the team's off-day -- to get some treatment for his back and work out. He had no problems with his back at all, and he made sure to tell his skipper that as soon as he arrived at the ballpark on Thursday.

"He'll be in the lineup tomorrow," manager Ron Gardenhire said before the Twins' 6-4 loss to the Reds on Thursday night. "He told me he's ready to go."

Although it wasn't easy, Gomez listened to the Twins' advice to take it slowly with his latest injury this week. He's also been able to follow the team's advice to be a little more patient in regard to his plate discipline this spring as well.

The 23-year-old worked on trying to be more selective with his pitches while playing for the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League, and his hope was to carry that over into Spring Training.

So far, the Twins' coaching staff has noticed a difference in Gomez's approach.

"He's working really hard," Gardenhire said. "He's shooting the ball the other way. He's had some counts where he's fallen behind early but fought back to get them to 3-2. So yeah, he's trying."

In 15 Grapefruit League games, Gomez is batting .256, with a .341 on-base percentage. He has three home runs in 39 at-bats, tying him for the team lead, with Delmon Young.

"He knew what he needed to work on coming into Spring Training, and that's what he talked about this winter -- shortening his swing and banging the ball around a little bit," Gardenhire said. "As far as taking his aggressiveness away, you don't want to do that. But you want him to remain in control of himself."

The Twins have said repeatedly that it won't be easy to find that balance for Gomez, whose enthusiasm is a critical part of his makeup as an athlete.

"It's one of those catch-22s," Gardenhire said. "You've got to let him play, because he plays with so much energy. But you also want to harness some of it, which is really hard to do. There is a fine line there."

Last year there were instances when Gomez swung so hard he fell, and those hacks have been much fewer this spring. So that's viewed as a sign of improvement.

Gardenhire has acknowledged that it won't be an instantaneous change for Gomez to become a more patient hitter in just his second full season with the Twins. But the club's feeling is that if Gomez can learn how to combine both his gregarious nature with some patience, he could potentially be a very special hitter.

"He has all the talent and the tools to be a great hitter," Gardenhire said. "He's so strong. He can be a power guy. There are a lot of things he can do. It just depends on how he develops and if he keeps improving. It's all up to him. The tools are there to do a lot. It's just whether he gets it and finds his niche."