PITTSBURGH -- On Opening Day, Colin Moran could be the Pirates’ starting third baseman. At times this year, he’ll line up at first base, with Josh Bell as the designated hitter. Other days, Moran will be Pittsburgh’s DH or serve as a left-handed bat off the bench.

Ten days before the Pirates’ season opener against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Moran isn’t too worried about where he stands in the team’s plans.

“Wherever they need me,” Moran said. “I’ve been playing a good amount of third, some first. I know the DH is in the NL this year. Whatever way they need me, I just want to win some games this year.”

On July 1, Pirates manager Derek Shelton said he didn’t view the third-base job as an open competition, which it was perceived to be entering Spring Training. Instead, Shelton said Moran will play third “a lot,” and others will start there as well. First base is another comfortable spot for Moran; he played there behind Joe Musgrove during Monday night’s scrimmage.

Moran played 121 games at third last season and moved over to second base 11 times, first base eight times and even left field twice. The Pirates have a handful of right-handed-hitting utility infielders who could spell Moran at third, including José Osuna, Erik González and Phillip Evans, along with the left-handed-hitting super-utility man JT Riddle. They have all worked out at third during Summer Camp.

At some point this year, prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes -- who hasn’t been active in camp for undisclosed reasons -- will likely factor into the mix at third as the long-term solution. But for now, it seems Moran will get more work than anybody else at the hot corner despite his minus-21 defensive runs saved there last season.

“Colin’s worked really hard on his defense. We’ve talked throughout the quarantine about working on our positioning, putting him in the right spot,” Shelton said. “I feel very confident that when they hit the ball to Colin Moran, he’s going to catch it and throw it across the diamond. That’s what we want him to do.”

Moran said consistency and dependability are his goals in the field. He’s worked with infield coach Joey Cora on his first-step quickness and his backhanded fielding, along with his positioning, to make strides toward improvement.

“It’s been good. We have a new staff, new faces, so just picking their brains on different things has been fun,” Moran said. “Just trying to be a consistent defender out there. Doing the little things that help you win the game: catching the ball, throwing it, getting a guy out, being consistent, being somebody that the pitchers rely on to get them outs when they make a good pitch.”

The Pirates are also hoping to squeeze more out of Moran’s bat, especially if he’s going to line up at important offensive positions like first base and DH. He did some things well at the plate last season, batting .277 with 13 homers, 30 doubles and 80 RBIs in 503 plate appearances. But his adjusted OPS+ of 97 was slightly below the league average, a drop-off from the 105 mark he posted in 2018.

Moran, who spent the last several months at home in Charlotte, N.C., said he’s been paying attention to how the league’s pitchers attacked him last year and trying to fight back against that. With help from hitting coach Rick Eckstein, Moran dove into which pitches he chases and where -- like cutters and sliders inside -- and worked to solidify his approach rather than try to tinker with his swing.

“As anybody that’s been around Colin knows, he’s a pretty even-keeled guy. I’ve actually seen him smile three times, I think, during these workouts,” Shelton said. “He and Josh Bell have hit in a group together, and Josh has put on a display and Colin’s put on a display. And that’s exciting to me, because he’s taking the things they’re working on in the cage and they’re transitioning onto the field.

“I’m excited with where he’s at. I’m happy with his work. If we can get Colin to smile a couple times a day, I’m in really good shape.”