But he was handed his first start in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers, and is now targeting more in the final push for the play-offs.
"It's been a really tough season for me," Bauza told BBC Sport Wales.
"I picked up an injury at the start of the season and it took me four or five months to get back.
"Since then I've been working really hard to get back in the team which has been really difficult because the gaffer [Paulo Sousa] already has his first 11 and 16.
"But I always said I felt part of the project a few years ago with new players and going up from League One, and I wanted to help the team in the new project we are in now which is to try to get into the play-offs."
Bauza, a free transfer from Espanyol in 2007, is an Under-16 European Championship winner with Spain where he played alongside Liverpool striker Fernando Torres.
He scored 11 league and cup goals in his first season at the Liberty Stadium, including a brace in the 2-1 win at Gillingham that clinched promotion to the Championship.
Bauza puts play-offs before future
That was on the back of 17 starts in 35 appearances but Bauza struggled to progress last season, often being used as a midfielder as then manager Roberto Martinez preferred to use one striker up front.
New boss Sousa has continued to employ the one striker policy, and Bauza, known as Bussy, was given a chance at the start of the season, making a substitute appearance in the 3-0 Carling Cup win over Brighton in August.
Bauza's injury problem then struck, and despite a fleeting return from the bench in the 2-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday in December, he was sidelined again and returned home to Spain for treatment.
And now fit again having made two further substitute appearances, he is hoping to impress and earn a new contract by helping Swansea cross the line, starting with Tuesday's trip to Blackpool.
"You never know. There's still eight games to go and maybe the play-offs," he said.
"Football changes in one day. You play a good game and score a few important goals and everybody loves you.
"You get an injury and you are out, and you are nobody.
"I will try to enjoy the rest of the season and wait for things to happen."
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport