Royals notebook: Teahen comfortable back at third base
By DAVID BOYCE
The Kansas City Star
In his first three games back at third base, Mark Teahen looked comfortable at the position that brought him to the big leagues.
Despite not playing third since Sept. 5, 2006, Teahen snagged a few hard smashes against Detroit and made solid throws to first.
“I enjoy it,” Teahen said of playing third. “That’s where I started. It’s definitely nice to get back there and play a few games. For the most part everything seems to have come back fairly quickly.”
Teahen has mostly played in the outfield since Alex Gordon took over third base at the start of the 2006 season.
A tear in Gordon’s right quadriceps put him on the disabled list Saturday and caused the Royals to put Teahen at third.
“I understand that Gordon is the third baseman now, but given the opportunity I’m going to try to make the most of it, enjoy it and kind of prove I can still play there,” Teahen said.
At the very least, Teahen is showing that he can handle the position well enough that whenever Gordon gets a day off Teahen can fill in.
“We will see when Gordon gets back,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “Right now we are trying to make sure that Mark, after a long absence of not playing that position, is as prepared as possible.”
The rotation
The Royals will have two off days in the next seven, which will give Hillman some options on how he wants to shape his pitching rotation. He could use the first off day to give Gil Meche an extra day off or skip Brandon Duckworth and pitch Meche on Saturday.
“It’s one of the reasons I didn’t force the issue with the questions I was asked on why didn’t I send Gil back out over 100 pitches in his last outing (against Cleveland),” Hillman said.
“You should always know as a manager and pitching coach what the next rotation will look like, and will they get an extra day of rest. It’s an opportunity for Gil to get an extra day of rest.”
Honors for Ka’aihue
Although first baseman Kila Ka’aihue is now ripping home runs in Class AAA Omaha, he was selected the Class AA Texas League player of the year, as voted on by league managers, beat writers and play-by-play announcers.
In 91 games for Northwest Arkansas, Ka’aihue hit a league-leading 26 home runs and drove in 79 runs.
Ka’aihue, 24, was a 15th-round selection in the 2002 amateur draft.
Bale struggles
The disappointing season by lefty reliever John Bale continues. In a rehab assignment for Omaha on Sunday, Bale gave up three runs and two hits in one inning.
The Royals don’t have a lefty on their staff, and it’s looking increasingly as if Bale, who is in the second year of a two-year contract is not a viable option.
In eight rehab outings at Omaha, Bale is 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA in 8 2/3 innings. He has given up 13 hits.
Hosmer makes debut
In his first professional at-bat Monday for the Rookie League Idaho Chuckers, Eric Hosmer was hit by a pitch. He popped up in his next at-bat.
Hosmer, the Royals’ No. 1 pick in the 2008 amateur draft, got his first professional hit in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double to left field.
Etc.
José Guillen, who left Sunday’s game in the sixth inning because of tightness in his left leg, started Monday in right field.
To reach David Boyce, sports reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4745 or send e-mail to dboyce@kcstar.com
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