Mike Moustakas back with Royals; Cheslor Cuthbert sent down

The return of third baseman Mike Moustakas from the disabled list on Saturday forced the Royals to option fill-in Cheslor Cuthbert back to Class AAA Omaha.

The return to Omaha could coincide with added work at a new position for Cuthbert. Royals manager Ned Yost said Saturday that Cuthbert would play third base and second base while at Omaha — an effort to make the 23-year-old more versatile.

“He’ll go back to Omaha, start playing a little bit of second, a little bit of third,” Yost said. “It just kind of increases his value to our organization, too, in case something happens.”

Cuthbert batted .255 with a .269 on-base percentage and four extra-base hits in 13 games. He was starting in place of Moustakas, who went on the disabled list in early May with a sesamoid fracture in his left thumb.

In a two-week cameo, Cuthbert was impressive, most notably on the defensive side. His bat began to fizzle over the last week, but he played well enough, perhaps, to merit a spot on the 25-man roster.

“Did he deserve to go down, no,” Yost said. “But you’ve got 25 guys on the team. There’s just not a spot for him right now. He’s just too valuable for us. We need him playing. We don’t need him up here, sitting the bench.”

As of now, the Royals are committed to carrying 13 pitchers on their 25-man roster while operating with a three-man bench. The three-man bench includes backup catcher Drew Butera; utility man Whit Merrifield, who can play the infield and outfield; and the club’s fourth outfielder. That left little room for Cuthbert on the 25-man roster.

This story was originally published May 21, 2016 at 6:39 PM with the headline "Mike Moustakas back with Royals; Cheslor Cuthbert sent down."