KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In less than a week, Royals manager Ned Yost went from virtually no bench to an ample supply of pinch hitters and pinch runners.
The problem for Yost, of course, is how to manage his resources.
On Monday, Yost got back Eric Hosmer from injury and he got Carlos Peguero from the minor leagues.
And he still has Josh Willingham and Raul Ibanez on his bench, which can create a problem in terms of figuring out who plays and who sits on any given day.
Yost is wary of not taking at-bats away from Billy Butler, who was the offensive catalyst during the surge that got the Royals back in the playoff chase. During a 26-game stretch after Hosmer got hurt, Butler hit .340 with a .960 OPS and four homers.
With Hosmer back, Butler returns to his DH role. But that blocks Willingham from the lineup.
Peguero had an impressive Royals debut Monday, ripping an opposite-field double and also throwing a rocket from the right-field corner to second base to hold Texas' Adrian Beltre to a single.
"I'm trying to get all those guys ABs," Yost said. "I'm trying to get Billy going again, which is going to be important. Trying to get (Willingham) and Peguero in there, but having them on the bench really helps, too.
"It's going to be mixing and matching. We won a game (Tuesday) night pinch-running for Moose (Mike Moustakas). It opened up our speed guys to help win that game. Having a bench helps.
"You know one thing: You got some good bats off the bench with Peguero, Willingham and Ibanez. After that, then you just try to pick spots when you get them a start to keep them ready."
Yost also will try to get Butler back on the field. Butler has said often that he performs better offensively when he plays in the field rather than just being the DH. The numbers back that up; Butler took off offensively when he took over for Hosmer at first base in late July.
"If you're facing a tough lefty, maybe you give Billy a start at first," Yost said. "It just goes day to day. When you get there, you figure it out."
Sitting Butler, who is in a mini-slump (8 for 46), is not an option looking forward.
"It would be counterproductive," Yost said. "On the flip side, you need some offense. We need him to get it going. That's why he was in there again (Wednesday). He'll get it going.
"He had a rough game (Tuesday) and a rough homestand, really."
But Yost knows Butler can be a huge benefit down the stretch.
"Billy has the ability to get hot and carry us for a while," Yost said. "He can really do some things offensively that help. But we're running out of time and we need to score some runs."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.
