Royals' Morales on playing 1st base: 'I came here to be a DH'

Kansas City Royals slugger Kendrys Morales believes he's operating with a limited job description. 

"I know coming in, who is our first baseman, and that's Eric Hosmer," Morales told Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star. "If the opportunity comes along to play first base, I will play it. But I came here to be a DH."

Morales replaces Billy Butler in the Royals' lineup this season after agreeing to a somewhat surprising two-year, $17-million deal in December. The 31-year-old has played almost exclusively as a designated hitter over the last three seasons, appearing at first base in just 86 of 196 games. 

"You won't have a problem with me," Morales said of his preparation when acting as the DH. "It's a mental thing. I started as a DH at a young age, so my mindset is to be a DH. During the game, you have to stay focused, you have to stay warm, and ... you're not in the game playing defense, but from the dugout, you have to be in the leg and stay loose."

While the plan is to use Morales primarily for his bat, manager Ned Yost did acknowledge that he might see the field on the rare occasion. 

"There will be days we play a tough night game and a day game the next day, and it might be a good day to play Kendrys at first base and give Hos a break," Yost said.