FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — By his count, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus spent only a few innings of his minor-league career at any position other than center field. And that was way back in instructionals, when he saw a couple innings, he said, in right field.

Otherwise he’s always been in center.

His instincts are honed for center. His routes are practiced in center. His reads are all based on being in center.

This spring Rasmus, who appears to be a leading candidate for one of the open spots on the Cardinals’ major-league roster, has not seen a majority of his playing time in center. He started in left field today against Baltimore, and he’s also been featured regularly in right field. The purpose is clear: For a club that already has an incumbent center fielder in Rick Ankiel, the Cardinals want the natural center fielder Rasmus to get work in the corners, where he’s likely to play to start his career. Versatility will be part of his job description if he’s on the roster.

“It’s not tricky once you get some experience doing that,” manager Tony La Russa said of shifting Rasmus to the corners. “That’s what he’s done this spring. You’ve got a guy who has a lot of talent chasing fly balls down. That talent doesn’t disappear. It’s just a matter of reading a different angle. He’s got a lot of batting practice where he’s reading it.”

Rasmus said he’s having to re-think some of his natural instincts in the field.

The first step is different in left, the read on the line drive is different in right field. Jim Edmonds and Skip Schumaker and Ankiel have all talked about this, too. The ball veers and hooks differently and the route an outfielder has to take to get the ball also has to change. Rasmus said it is his goal to end spring where his instincts adapt to the position he’s playing. And, there have been times this spring when it’s clear his read is off. He breaks in on a ball to left field that is over his head. He has to fade back on a ball to recover from a bad route.

Consider too that outfield play in the Florida State League is notoriously tricky. Red Sox players said there is a gust of wind that carries the ball unexpectedly to left field, giving even the lightest of liners a sudden jolt of velocity. Viera, Fla., where the National train, has a similar challenge for left fielders. At Roger Dean Stadium, left field can be a difficult sun field, where outfielders are sometimes blinded as balls come out of a high sky.

Some of Rasmus hesistant moments in the corners can be explained by the conditions. Others, as he acknowledged this morning, have to do with getting a more position-specific read.

That’s what he did just a few moments ago. With Adam Wainwright about to finish his five innings (88 pitches, 53 strikes), Rasmus tracked down a wind-fueled bolt to left-center field. It was a full-count fly ball by Oscar Salazar that Rasmus read correctly, got the quick jump and took the right route to snare one step shy of the warning track.

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