Kansas City, Mo. ? Let’s see: The slugger hasn’t played a full season in two years.

The rotation — the four-fifths of it that pitched last season, that is — went a combined 27-32.

The second baseman has a whopping 44 games’ worth of major-league experience, and the third baseman has none.

Left at that, those facts wouldn’t be good news for any team and especially not for one coming off its worst season ever.

But there’s more to each story — and that’s why the Kansas City Royals believe they can improve on last year’s woeful 58-104 record.

First baseman/designated hitter Mike Sweeney, who has missed 146 games over the past three seasons with back problems, went through intensive offseason exercises to strengthen the area and says he’s in the best shape of his career.

“My goal this year is not numbers, because I know if I’m healthy I’m going to put up good numbers,” said the 31-year-old Sweeney, a four-time All-Star with a .305 career batting average. “My goal is to get through the season, to get through October with being on the field every day.”

The Royals will need every bit of production Sweeney can give them.

Their .259 batting average last year was the second-worst in the American League, and first baseman/DH Ken Harvey — who hit .287 in 2004 and was the team’s only All-Star selection — struggled at the plate after midseason and again this spring.

Kansas City's Mike Sweeney, left, is greeted by manager Tony Pena, right, after hitting a two-run homer against San Diego last week in Peoria, Ariz. Sweeney likely needs to be healthy if the Royals are to improve on last year's 58-104 season.

He was optioned to the minors Tuesday in favor of rookie Calvin Pickering.

“Offensively, we’re going to have to do everything right,” general manager Allard Baird said. “We don’t have any margin for error.”

Much will depend, too, on the answers to questions surrounding the rotation — whether right-hander Jose Lima can continue his recent resurgence, for example, and how well Runelvys Hernandez’s rebuilt right elbow will hold up under the strain of his first regular season since 2003.

Lima is 21-8 since the Royals found him pitching for an independent minor-league team in June 2003. He was 8-3 for Kansas City that year, but wasn’t offered a contract after the season.

He made the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation in 2004 as a nonroster invitee to spring training, then went 13-5 with a 4.07 earned-run average.

“I’m just happy that I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’m a better pitcher than I was before.”

Hernandez got off to a 4-0 start in 2003 before falling prey to elbow troubles, which eventually required Tommy John surgery. After missing the 2004 season, he’s back in the lineup this year and says he’s stronger than ever.

“It was hard,” he said. “I was really frustrated. You saw how good I started 2003. But it’s fine. I’ll take a little frustration. I came back and worked really hard, and now I’m here.”