Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Tank Adamson looked into his crystal ball and saw a problem coming up soon for his team.

The Pigs roster has not been at full strength all season because of injuries, but now guys are getting healthy and returning.

That’s generally a good thing, but making room for them is going to mean some difficult decisions.

Keaton Anthony and Gabriel Rincones Jr., who both started the season on the injured list, returned recently as did reliever Max Lazar. Outfielder Pedro Leon is rehabbing and working his way back and could be returning to the team shortly, too.

“I know Keaton especially was antsy to get back here and kind of wanted to cut it (his rehab) short, but they just wanted to make sure that he checked all of the boxes on his way back,” said Adamson of Keaton Anthony.

“These guys are back and healthy, which is a nice problem to have, so we’ll have to be creative with the lineup. He may get some time in left field, and of course, first base.”

The lineup has been creative. Carter Kieboom, who has been playing at third base with a little bit of first base thrown in, got a couple of starts at second base during the last homestand.

Otto Kemp has shuttled between left field and third base, with a couple of dazzling defensive plays at third. He recently added first base to his resume as well. With Steward Berroa in Philadelphia, Christian Cairo started his first game in center field this past week.

Truth be told, the moves aren’t just about finding playing time for players. It’s all been thought out as a way of making players more versatile.

The return of Rincones has been anticipated. He was expected to get a long look in spring training with the potential to find a spot on the Phillies opening day roster, but a knee injury put him on the shelf for all of training camp. Now, he is looking to get himself back into the conversation for a spot on the major league roster.

“He’s a guy that sets the bar so high for himself, so unbelievably high, that at times we almost have to get him enough breaks and get him to be patient with himself,” said Adamson of Rincones.

“From a physical sense, he’s an absolute machine, so it’s just a matter of essentially nudging him back on the rails and then letting him go out and be athletic.”

With other players returning soon and players at Double-A Reading pushing for promotions, the creativity to finding playing time is going to have to increase even further. For right now though, it’s just getting the guys that are here on the field enough to keep them sharp.

“I’m going to leave that problem for Future Tank,” said Adamson with a chuckle. “We’re just taking the guys who are here right now and focusing on those guys. That’s a nice problem to have because we’ve had a lot of guys step up. To get the original group back is going to be quite fun and we’ll just have to make the best of everything.”

BACK TO THE FUTURE ... Another player who was expected to be on the Lehigh Valley roster is top prospect Aidan Miller. Miller, who just turned 22, is dealing with back issues and underwent a spinal ablation procedure last Friday. The treatment burns off nerves that are sending pain responses, allowing better movement without pain. The Phillies hope that Miller, who has not swung a bat or participated in fielding drills, will be with Lehigh Valley in early August.

COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS ... There is potentially another player who will be with Lehigh Valley soon. Center fielder Johan Rojas, who is serving an 80-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, is eligible to play on June 25. Major League Baseball allows a 15-day minor league assignment prior to returning to allow the player to get into playing shape. With that timetable, Rojas could be playing in the minors — most likely at Clearwater to begin — as he works back to returning to the Phillies roster.

COINCIDING SCHEDULES ... Astute observers noticed that Andrew Painter and Alan Rangel both pitched on Saturday. The significance is that with Painter’s continued struggles in the majors, the Phillies might want to swap out Painter for a different starter, giving the rookie a chance to regain some confidence at Triple-A. Rangel has had some bumps along the way this season, but threw a great game against a tough Rochester team this past week, which also heightened the expectations for a change. Phillies manager Don Mattingly insists that he and the team have confidence in Painter and that there are no changes planned.

THE FIRST HALF FINISH LINE ... The first half of the International League season ends on June 21, which puts it right in the middle of a 12-game homestand for Lehigh Valley. The IronPigs are nowhere near winning the first half title as they sit 9 ½ games behind first place Rochester with 12 games to play before the June 21 date. Lehigh Valley plays rival Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in six games on the road this week and then returns home next Tuesday against Worcester to close out the second half. They stay in their own beds after that series for a six-game series against Syracuse at Coca-Cola Park.