PAWTUCKET — Jonathan Van Every was back in Pawtucket’s lineup last night and manager Ron Johnson couldn’t have been happier.

“He’s a game-changer,” Johnson said. “He can do some things. I’m really excited to have him back.”

Van Every has had a difficult season so far, but the all-purpose player hopes that his injuries are now a thing of the past.

So does Johnson.

“In spring training he had the ankle [sprain], which kept him out for the last month of spring, and then he rehabbed, came back for a day, and then went to the big leagues,” said Johnson.

All he did on that one day back in Pawtucket was hit a ninth-inning grand slam. He was called up to the majors the next day.

“He wasn’t getting everyday at-bats there, but he came back down and then had this thing with the knee,” Johnson said. “I’m just hoping right now to get him out there so he can start getting some consistent ABs (at-bats) because we all know he’s a very good player.”

Van Every was making his first appearance with the PawSox since being put on the disabled list on June 1 (retro to May 30) with a left knee sprain.

“He was just starting to swing the bat pretty good that night against Homer Bailey and the Louisville team when his knee kind of swelled up on him a little bit,” Johnson said.

Van Every played center field and batted sixth Tuesday night. He entered the game batting .210 (18-for-62) with three doubles, four home runs, and 10 RBI. He walked in his first two at-bats last night, and he popped out to second base in his third.

His numbers with Pawtucket are down this year, but he made the most of his opportunities in Boston. He spent nearly two weeks with the Red Sox from April 24 through May 7 and batted .364 with a game-winning home run and three RBI.

The outfielder is trying to boost his stock by learning new positions. He has tried some infield spots, and roughly 24 hours after lifting the Red Sox to a 6-5, 10-inning victory in Cleveland with his first major-league homer, Van Every came on in relief and pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up one hit and no runs, in Boston’s 13-0 loss to Tampa Bay on April 30.

That was his first time on the mound in more than a decade, when he was a senior southpaw for University Christian High School in Mississippi.

Van Every led the PawSox in home runs last season, with 26.

Van Every was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 29th round (876th overall) of the 2000 Major League Draft. He did not sign until May 19, 2001. He played in the Indians organization from 2001 through 2007 before becoming a minor-league free agent. On Dec. 1, 2007, the Boston Red Sox signed him to a minor-league contract.

To make room for Van Every on the roster, the PawSox put left-handed pitcher Javier Lopez on the seven-day disabled list (retro to June 5).

“He’s got biceps tendinitis,” Johnson said.