Royals aren't mulling Gordon's shift to third

ST. PETERSBURG -- Considering Mike Moustakas' .184 batting average entering Sunday, Royals manager Ned Yost was asked if he'd considered moving left fielder Alex Gordon back to third base.

Taken aback a bit, Yost at first didn't want to comment, but then he did.

"I'm not here to fan a fire here, fan a fire there," Yost said. "But to answer your question -- no. The thought hasn't come into my head that we're going to put Alex back at third base. It's never occurred to me."

Gordon began his career as the Royals' regular third baseman and played that position from 2007 to 2010. That season, sent to Triple-A Omaha, he was moved to the outfield. Since that transition, Gordon's hitting has taken off and he's played left field so well that he's won a Gold Glove Award the last two years.

So, Yost really hasn't considered about tinkering with that success.

"Have I thought about putting Alex at first or third in an emergency? Yeah, it's an option," he said. "But have I thought about moving Alex back to third base? No. That thought has never come up in any conversation we've ever had."

Who's an alternative to Moustakas?

"We've got [Elliot] Johnson and [Miguel] Tejada that fill that spot," Yost said.