CLEVELAND -- Eric Wedge believes "time will tell" if Kelly Shoppach can be an everyday catcher in the big leagues.

And time will tell this season. Because even when Victor Martinez returns to the Tribe's active roster -- most likely in the middle of August -- Shoppach won't return to typical backup duties.

"Victor's not going to be able to catch every day," Wedge said.

Martinez, working his way back from surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow, will have to ease his way back into action. That might lead to more days at first base, more days in the designated hitter slot or, simply, more days off.

"He's going to have to rest more," Wedge said. "He'll play some first base, as well as catching. He might DH more, but we'll have to figure out what kind of wear and tear swinging the bat does on his elbow. We'll talk to [head athletic trainer] Lonnie [Soloff] and see where he's at."

Where Martinez is at, for now, is on the rehab trail. He once again played catch from up to 75 feet on Tuesday and appears to be doing fine.

And Shoppach has been doing just fine in Martinez's place, of late. He has a six-game hitting streak coming into Tuesday's game against the Tigers, in which he's batted .381 (8-for-21) with two homers and eight RBIs. He's also batting .302 over his last 25 games.

"He's been enjoying the process of playing on an everyday basis," Wedge said. "He's definitely come a long way."