Royals softening stance on Chris Owings as everyday starter

Royals infielder/outfielder Chris Owings will get the day off on Saturday, and his playing time could fluctuate more going forward than it has through the first month of the season.

“I’m just going to slow him down a little bit,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s really grinding. I talked to him a little bit today. I told him, ‘You’re really a good player. Your value as a defender is huge. Just, you’re really grinding. Cut yourself a little slack. Relax a little bit.’”

Prior to Saturday’s game at Comerica Park in Detroit, Yost said as part of “slowing him down” he planned not to play Owings so much every day, but still have him in the lineup regularly.

Owings, who started at shortstop on Friday night as Adalberto Mondesi served as designated hitter, has started 28 of the 31 games he’s appeared in this season. A free-agent acquisition this offseason, he entered Saturday having gone 2 for 38 since hitting a home run off the bench against the New York Yankees on April 20 at Yankee Stadium.

With Kelvin Gutierrez on the roster and capable of playing third base along with Whit Merrifield at second base, the Royals can easily give Owings days off even while Hunter Dozier works his way back to being able to play every day after back tightness has limited him the past two weeks.

Owings has started multiple games at second base, third base, right field, center field and shortstop this season. He has struggled at the plate, and came into Saturday batting .143 with a .204 on-base percentage and 39 strikeouts.

Back in the winter, Royals general manager Dayton Moore likened Owings’ defensive versatility and the type of offensive production to that of Merrifield’s.

Owing’s career slash line coming into this season was .250/.291/.378. He batted a career-worst .206 average in 2018. He’d stolen 11 bases or more in each of the previous four seasons.

In 2016, he batted .277 with 40 extra-base hits, 21 steals and a National League-leading 11 triples.

Three-for-one: The Royals continued their trend of collecting bases in threes, and it’s certainly contagious. The Royals lead the majors with 18 triples, and eight players have hit at least one triple after Kelvin Gutierrez’s first-career MLB three-bagger on Friday night. The Miami Marlins and Cleveland Indians still haven’t hit a triple this season.

Ross returns: Tyson Ross will start Saturday’s game for the Tigers, his first start since April 24. Ross, a right-hander with a 1-3 record, went on the paternity list on April 30. His wife, Ashley, gave birth to their first child, Jordan Anthony Ross, on May 1.

Ross started against the Royals in the previous series between the teams in April. He allowed one run on five hits and struck out eight in seven innings on April 7.

Saturday’s lineup

1. Whit Merrifield, 2b

2. Adalberto Mondesi, ss

3. Alex Gordon, lf

4. Hunter Dozier, dh

5. Jorge Soler, rf

6. Ryan O’Hearn, 1b

7. Kelvin Gutierrez, 3b

8. Martin Maldonado, c

9. Billy Hamilton, cf

Starting pitcher: Homer Bailey (rh, 2-3, 5.70)

This story was originally published May 4, 2019 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Royals softening stance on Chris Owings as everyday starter."