San Diego ? The Kansas City Royals plan to go with a six-man pitching rotation at least until the All-Star break.

Kyle Davies is ready to come off the disabled list, and rookie Danny Duffy is pitching well enough that the Royals don’t want to send him down to the minors.

Kansas City manager Ned Yost said the move is designed to help the Royals stay healthy. Besides the fact that Davies and Bruce Chen are coming off injuries, Jeff Francis is right around the number of innings he threw last year, when he was coming off left shoulder surgery that sidelined him for all of 2009.

“About the only guy that really doesn’t benefit from it health-wise, is (Felipe) Paulino, but it’s a benefit to the other five,” Yost said. “We’ve never done it like this before. We thought we’d try it and see how it plays out and take it to the All-Star break and see how we like it.”

Davies has been on the DL due to rotator cuff inflammation.