TUCSON - Jeff Salazar was joking … sort of. It was during the first round of cuts at Diamondbacks camp, and the team’s fourth outfielder was feigning worry as manager Bob Melvin called players into his office.

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“I’ll just sneak by (when leaving),” Salazar said. “I’m not safe yet.”

The statement drew universal smiles.

Every report from Melvin and the front office has Salazar slated as the team’s only reserve outfielder and a lock to make the opening day roster.

But Salazar said he still won’t believe it until the team notifies him to pack his bags for Cincinnati for the season opener.

“You still never know,” he said. “I’ve seen crazy stuff happen. Once you accept that, it’s kind of a domino effect and you start getting complacent. ... I refuse to get complacent. I take nothing for granted.

“It’s hard to get here (to the majors), and it’s equally as hard to stay here.”

Salazar spent the majority of his offseason working out in Tucson with Arizona minor leaguers.

It’s easy to see where he gets his work ethic.

His father, Chuck, was 17 when Jeff was born. He worked various jobs, unloading cargo at an airport, washing cars — anything to provide for his family.

“He didn’t go to college or anything like that,” Salazar said. “He taught himself how to fix TVs, VCRs.”

Salazar came to admire his dad’s resolve.

“He’s like your man’s man. He’s used his hands all his life. Blue-collar stuff,” he said. “I didn’t appreciate it as much when I was little. I’d be like, ‘man, my car doesn’t work. Dad, fix it.’ Or ‘my TV’s not working or my Playstation.’ Whatever it was, he’d find a way to get it working.

“Now that I’m older it’s like, man, that’s pretty cool.”

Now that he’s older, Salazar’s also tried to take after his old man.

“The best thing he ever taught me was to not take things for granted, to work for stuff and trust that somewhere down the line things will come back to you,” he said.

Chuck Salazar said Jeff has always had the drive, from high school to junior college to his one year at Oklahoma State — especially when people doubted him.

“He’s had a lot of bumps, but he’s always been able to prove people wrong,” Chuck Salazar said.

It’s why Salazar made his way to the major leagues as an eighth-round draft pick of Colorado — and it’s how he has carved a niche on this year’s team as the backup to all three outfield slots.

Melvin said Salazar’s value goes beyond the box score, from his mental preparation to his ability to play all three outfield positions well.

He also fits in nicely as a left-handed bat backing up three righties.

“Certain guys are better fits for certain clubs, and he is for ours,” Melvin said.

For now, Salazar seems blocked from becoming an every-day player with Arizona, sitting behind potential stars Chris Young and Justin Upton as well as established veteran Eric Byrnes.

Chuck Salazar said if his son doesn’t progress any further as a player, he still couldn’t be any more proud of him.

But that’s not where it stops for Jeff. It’s not what he learned.

“You’ve got a guy like Byrnesie, look where he’s come from where he started,” Salazar said. “He had to battle for what he earned, and that’s what I’ve had to do. Maybe in five years, I’ll be sitting in his spot.”