In 2006, Mark Teahen averaged .290 in 109 games with 18 home runs, 69 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases for the Kansas City Royals before a shoulder injury ended his season in early September. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Mark Teahen finished the 2006 baseball season at third base for the Kansas City Royals, opened spring training in February in right field and could patrol centre before the end of the upcoming campaign.

In other words, he's a jack-of-all-trades for the American League team. "I guess so," Teahen said, sheepishly, in a phone interview with CBC Sports Online.

"I'd much prefer being good at one position. Down the road I'd like to play centre. I think I have the speed for it."

But with regular centre-fielder David DeJesus recovered from an abdominal virus, Teahen, 25, is expected to open the season April 2 as Kansas City's starting right-fielder against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

Last September, Teahen agreed to shift to the outfield for the 2007 Major League Baseball season to make room for Alex Gordon, the Royals' top prospect.

The pair are expected to pack a punch in an improved Kansas City lineup, with Teahen looking to rebound from a strong 2006 season cut short by arthroscopic surgery to repair a partial labrum tear in his right shoulder.

Although he was raised in Yucaipa, Calif., Teahen is also a Canadian citizen because his father Mike was born in St. Marys, a small town in southwestern Ontario.

Toronto baseball fans can get a glimpse of Teahen when the Royals open a three-game series at Rogers Centre on April 9, the Blue Jays' home opener.

Teahen spoke to Sports Online about his shoulder rehabilitation, switching positions, his relationship with Gordon and what the future holds for the Royals.

Has there been a moment in spring training when you left the dugout and jogged a few steps toward third base rather than the outfield?

Not really. I like to think I'm intelligent enough to know where I'm playing. It's tough. Sometimes I'll be in the outfield doing drills, and I'll see guys taking ground balls in the infield and thinking, 'I should be doing that.' In the long run [changing positions] will be better for me and the organization.

I think it'll take stress off my shoulder. There's less stress in the outfield, so I've been told, and it could also result in better numbers for me offensively. It also gets Alex into the league and I hope he can be a major part of the team's success.

How has your shoulder responded to the daily grind of spring training just seven months after surgery?

It's pretty good. I have had a little down period and guys I've talked to who have had similar surgery say that happens, but I'm pretty close to where I need to be [to start the season]. Every once in a while, [the shoulder] backs up on you, but I just give it some additional treatment. I might ice it a little more.

How quickly following surgery were you able to begin your rehabilitation and what did that entail?

Five days to a week after surgery, I was getting the range of motion back and I was at the training complex every day. I would work on the shoulder twice a day for one hour doing range-of-motion exercises. I started throwing about two months after surgery. I had never had surgery of any kind prior to this, so it gets aggravating because you want to jump back in [to your regular off-season training program]. It's a slow process.

When did Royals manager Buddy Bell and general manager Dayton Moore first mention switching to the outfield from third base? It was reported that you weren't thrilled about the idea at first. Was there something said to you that made it easier to accept or did you realize that for yourself?

About a week before the [Sept. 8] surgery, they said I might play outfield, so I definitely needed to be healthy if I was going to be learning a new throw. It was definitely a tough period. Initially, I felt I had worked so hard to become a good, consistent player at third base last year. But I came to terms with it and realized it wasn't a slap in the face but a pat on the back.

One of your teammates, outfielder Reggie Sanders, believes adjusting to the outfield would be easy for you, but said it could be a little scary at times because you have to learn at the major-league level rather than the minors. Do you prefer it happen this way?

Oh yeah, definitely. I feel I proved myself as a big-league player last year. I never played the game there [in the outfield] until the spring, so it's definitely a learning process. You're under a microscope because you are changing positions at the major-league level but it's easier to adjust here because I know the hitters. If you misplay a ball in the spring, you have people wondering if you should have caught the ball. But if you've played 15 years like Reggie Sanders, they'll just assume the ball was out of reach.

What are some of the challenges you have encountered in the outfield and would you describe it as a smooth transition?

I don't feel any added pressure other than the pressure I put on myself. I wanted to be good at it right away, but I have to understand it's a process. Tracking the ball and reading it off the bat is an ongoing process. I realize I never gave outfielders enough credit in the past. I thought, it's a fly ball, just catch it, but a lot more goes into it. Whether it's breaking back on a ball hit or sprinting in [toward the infield], it's about reads and that will come with time. Also, the sun and wind affects you a lot more in the outfield.

Teahen reaches for a fly ball off the bat of San Diego Padres' Terrmel Sledge during a March 5 spring training game in Surprise, Arizona. (Orlin Wagner/Associated Press)

How do you approach defence differently as an outfielder from being in the infield?

A lot of it is the same in that you have to expect the ball [to be hit to you] and you want the ball. The big difference in the outfield is you feel so far away from the play. If your initial few steps are not good [on a line drive], you have to make up for it and you could end up in trouble. Also, you're catching the ball on your own in the outfield rather than throwing it to first base [to complete the play].

At various times in spring training you have had to ice your shoulder. What have you noticed about your throws from the outfield as a game progresses and your body begins to tire?

I've only had to make a few competitive throws and hit the cut-off man with the rest, so I've been happy with it for the most part. I know it's just a matter of strengthening the shoulder. I have to make sure I'm getting my long tossing in as my body gets used to throwing again.

The consensus is rookie Alex Gordon is ready to play third base in the majors after just one season in the minor leagues. Has he caught your eye this spring? It's never easy to lose your job to anyone. Describe your relationship?

I'm very impressed. He swings the bat hard, is selective at the plate and always gives you a quality at-bat. With the hype that is attached to him, I've seen guys in the past sit on that and everyone assumes they're going to be good and they relax. But Alex is working hard in the field and is in the weight room as much as anyone. He has a quiet confidence and a good work ethic.

We get along. We're teammates and probably will be for a long time. If anything, I can help him because I've had a year of playing in the big leagues at third [base]. Everyone wants to tab it as a rivalry but I want him to do as good as anyone. There's no animosity or anything.

In 2005, you averaged .246 in 130 games with Kansas City but hit just .195 in the first four weeks of last season. Looking back, what were the contributing factors to such a slow start?

When you're struggling, everyone wants to help you out. You have five people telling you that your mechanics are perfect or messed up. If I had a bad game I would get ticked off, take it home and come to the park ticked off the next day instead of letting it go. I had a good last month in my rookie year [in 2005] and thought I would just carry that over into 2006. I put pressure on myself right away and the team was struggling, so it was good to get away from a situation where everyone is over-analyzing everything. In the minors, I was able to relax and didn't have to worry about every at-bat.

There have been some lean times in Kansas City with the Royals posting one winning season over the last 12 years. What do you find encouraging about the current lineup and what the organization has in the minor-league system?

Ever since [general manager] Dayton Moore came over [from the Atlanta Braves on May 31, 2006], the team has been built from the ground up. In years past it seemed like the team always went for the quick fix, but it's been nice this spring. We're a big-league team that is more together. I think, obviously, we needed help with pitching after last season [an AL-worst 5.65 earned-run average].

The signing of [former Seattle Mariners starter Gil] Meche was big. It showed that management is making an effort to be competitive. We've also made trades to acquire pitching prospects like Tyler Lumsden and drafted Luke Hochevar [first overall in 2006]. It looks good for this year and better down the road.

You hold dual citizenship because your father, Mike, was born in St. Marys, Ont. Where do your parents (mother Marty) live now? Do you have any family in Ontario or other parts of Canada?

They live in Yucaipa, Calif., where I grew up. They met through my Uncle Gerry, who still lives in St. Marys with my Aunt Bobbie. My mom won out in the end and they moved closer to her family. I also have an aunt and uncle in Windsor, Ont. [Tom and Jane]. When I was growing up and playing ball along with my two brothers, we didn't get a chance to get up there [to Ontario] to see that part of the family. But playing in Detroit and Toronto, I've been able to see them and get to know them better. It's been a blessing.

Initially, the reason I tried to get [Canadian] citizenship quickly is because I wanted to play in the Olympics for Canada in 2004. My dad played for the Canadian national team, I think in the early 1970s and went to the Pan American Games. I'm hoping to play for Canada in a World Baseball Classic or the Olympics. It would be nice to have that in common with him, following in his footsteps that way and embracing that side of my [heritage].