Former All-Star 3B Moustakas to start at 2B for Brewers

Mike Moustakas will be the Milwaukee Brewers' starting second baseman in 2019.

Manager Craig Counsell made the announcement on Monday, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, following a successful spring audition that saw Moustakas play a position he's never occupied during his major-league career.

The 30-year-old Moustakas, who's made 937 out of 941 career appearances at third base, apparently feels ready to man his new spot with Opening Day just weeks away.

"I'm really enjoying it at second. It's fun; it's new," the two-time All-Star said. "And I feel comfortable, which is the most important thing. I’m getting a lot of work over there."

Counsell added, "He's not going to have high-end range. But he's very instinctual as a player."

Milwaukee will also move Travis Shaw back to third base, where he played in 2018 before the Brewers traded for Moustakas in a midseason deal with the Kansas City Royals.

The team decided to bring back Moustakas in free agency on a one-year, $10-million contract last month. He hit .251/.315/.459 with 28 home runs and 95 RBIs across 156 games split between the Royals and Brewers last season.