TAMPA, Fla. -- The frustration Dansby Swanson felt while battling left wrist discomfort most of last season extended beyond the maddening offensive struggles. Along with having trouble with the bat, the Braves' shortstop was challenged by simple tasks, like buttoning a shirt and positioning a backpack on his shoulders.

"It was a little bit different life I had to get used to last year," Swanson said. "It was so funny, I remember during the offseason, when I was able to finally put a backpack on like normal, I called people and said, 'Yo, I just put a backpack on,' without feeling like I was going to have issues."

Swanson took another step toward normalcy on Tuesday afternoon, when he played in a game for the first time since undergoing left wrist surgery in November. He went 1-for-2 with a run scored and made solid contact with both of the balls he put in play, playing four innings of what was a 5-1 loss to the Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

"It's nice to not have any conscious thoughts about pain or hurting or feeling like you're limited in what you can do," Swanson said. "It was definitely a promising sign to start that way. I'm excited to be able to move forward."

Swanson planted a sharp comebacker off Yankees starter Stephen Tarpley's left foot in the first inning and then laced an opposite-field single to right to begin the fourth against J.A. Happ. He'll complete normal pregame drills Wednesday, enjoy the team's off-day on Thursday and then return to the lineup Friday night against the Phillies.

"It didn't look like it was his first at-bats of the season," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "I thought he had two really good at-bats. He looked good at the plate. That was very encouraging."

Swanson, 25, doesn't like to think about what he experienced last year. The first overall pick in 2015 started last season in promising fashion, hitting .357 with a .961 OPS through 59 plate appearances. The wrist began bothering him after he collected three hits during a frigid April 14 game at Wrigley Field, and it hampered him over the remainder of the season.

A short stint on the disabled list in early May provided brief relief and the chance to attempt to finish the year. Swanson hit .223 with a .665 OPS over the 123 games that followed the initial discomfort, and his season concluded with him tearing a ligament near his left wrist during a Sept. 25 game at Citi Field.

After undergoing surgery to remove damaged cartilage from the wrist in November, Swanson began his journey back. Other than being bothered by scar tissue a couple of hours before he was scheduled to make his spring debut last Friday, he has progressed through camp without limitations.

Swanson's ultimate reward would be the opportunity to complete the upcoming season in a healthy manner. But Tuesday's game at least reintroduced him to a sense of satisfaction.

"During the [national] anthem, I was thinking about how thankful I am to just be healthy and be in the position I'm in," Swanson said. "I'm very excited about being back out there today. It's fun to be able to compete at something other than video games."