KANSAS CITY -- For the foreseeable future, the Mariners will be showcasing a new look at first base.

With Ty France headed to the 10-day injured list on Sunday due to a hairline fracture in his right heel, Seattle called up Tyler Locklear, the club¡¯s No. 8 prospect. Manager Scott Servais said the plan is for Locklear to get the bulk of the playing time at first while France is out. Servais added that he doesn¡¯t currently have a timeline for how much time France may miss.

Locklear batted seventh Sunday and smacked a go-ahead double into right-field for his first career hit and RBI. He was in line for game-winning hit until the Royals tied it in the ninth, but Locklear still played a major role in the Mariners' 6-5 victory.

¡°He¡¯s going to play a lot,¡± Servais said. ¡°It¡¯s not just going to be a platoon situation. There will be times when he gets a day off here or there, but we¡¯re going to give him a shot.¡±

Locklear was batting .293 with nine homers and 33 RBIs over 51 games with Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma.

Servais was impressed by what he saw from Locklear in Spring Training, and lauded the 23-year-old¡¯s work ethic. In 15 Cactus League games, Locklear batted .320 with a homer and five RBIs.

¡°The makeup and work ethic are off the charts,¡± Servais said of Locklear. ¡°We all believe in his bat, that he¡¯s going to hit at the big league level. He¡¯s a big, burly guy who has really improved defensively. He has power and uses the whole field to hit. Just get those first-game jitters out of the way and see where it goes from there.¡±

France suffered his injury Friday when he was hit by a pitch in the right foot from Royals¡¯ left-hander Daniel Lynch IV. It was the 90th time France has been hit since joining the Mariners, setting a club record. He stayed in the game and hit two doubles before getting scratched from the lineup Saturday.

¡°We joke about Ty getting hit by pitches, but this one unfortunately wasn¡¯t protected,¡± Servais said. ¡°He just has to let it calm down.¡±