KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Brady House hasn’t been in the Nationals’ lineup every day since making his major league debut two months ago. But he’s never been out of the lineup two days in a row, until now.

The rookie third baseman didn’t start Monday night’s series opener at Kauffman Stadium, and he’s once again sitting tonight as the Nats and Royals meet again. It’s a byproduct both of his own offensive struggles and the recent surge by veteran Paul DeJong.

DeJong has been on a tear during this road trip, going 7-for-14 with two homers and five RBIs the last three days. The 32-year-old got back-to-back starts at second base in place of Luis García Jr. (who was dealing with a tight back) and now he’s getting back-to-back starts at third base in place of House (who is healthy).

“It’s hard to take Pauly out of the lineup right now,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “He’s a true veteran, playing good defense. He’s been getting good at-bats. It’s helping our offense. We’re trying to create something here: Getting good at-bats, playing good defense, making adjustments is going to keep you in the big leagues.”

DeJong was signed this spring to a one-year, $1 million deal with the intention of holding down the third base position until House was ready to make his major league debut. But two weeks in, the veteran was struck in the face by a fastball, suffering multiple fractures, and wound up missing 2 1/2 months.

By the time DeJong returned from the injured list, House had already been called up from Triple-A Rochester, and the 22-year-old has been in the starting lineup almost every day since, with only an occasional day off. The 2021 first-round pick has excelled in the field, impressing the coaching staff, but his offensive output has lagged. In 41 games to date, House is batting .239 with two homers, 18 RBIs, five walks, 43 strikeouts and a .580 OPS.

“I was talking to him yesterday how it’s a game of cat and mouse,” Cairo said. “How the pitchers make adjustments to you, and how you’ve got to make adjustments to the pitchers. … And in the big leagues, you’ll see pitchers more sharp, better curveballs, better sliders, better fastballs, and more consistent. He has to be more consistent when he gets an at-bat. Defensively, he’s unbelievable. He’s been awesome.”

In spite of his struggles at the plate, House has continued to play at a high level at third base. His ability to separate the two parts of his game as a rookie has impressed the coaching staff.

“You’ve got to see his work ethic,” Cairo said. “He goes out there, and you can tell. When he takes ground balls, he takes them like he does during the game. Everything, every throw, the way he moves, the way he attacks the ball, everything is with intent to what it looks like in the game.”

* The Nationals announced a change in start time for their Sept. 14 game against the Pirates.

The Sunday finale was originally scheduled for 1:35 p.m. It will now start at 11:35 a.m. to account for the team’s third annual “Nats on Base Abroad” event, in which former players Adam Eaton and Brian Dozier will travel to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and watch the game with members of the armed services.

Given the eight-hour time difference from Washington, the team decided to move up first pitch to a pre-noon start. It will be the Nationals’ third morning game of the season, joining their annual 11:05 a.m. game on July 4 and this Sunday’s 11:35 a.m. game against the Phillies (which will be televised on Roku).