MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota Twins right fielder Michael Cuddyer was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, the start of his second stint on the shelf this season to let a lingering finger injury heal.
This time, Cuddyer has a strained tendon in his left index finger that's causing enough pain to prevent him from properly gripping the bat or fully bending the digit. He has played through the soreness for more than two weeks but was unable to Saturday or Sunday. Cuddyer said he took a swing that sent him "over the edge" in Friday's game."He's pretty frustrated, to tell you the truth," manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Outfielder Denard Span, who joined the Twins in April when Cuddyer cut and dislocated the index finger on his right hand during a headfirst slide, will be recalled from Triple-A Rochester in time to play Monday against Detroit.
Cuddyer, after signing a three-year, $24 million contract this winter, has slumped this season to a .252 average with only three homers in 234 at-bats. He has hit well this month, though, and his powerful throwing arm is always a threat to opposing runners.
Clearly, another injury to Cuddyer was not the way Gardenhire wanted to get Span back in the majors.
"He's a leader out there, you know? He's one of the guys that we count on every day," Gardenhire said. "But as with anybody else, we just have to play. We have to pick each other up when these things happen."
Span, the team's first-round draft selection in 2002 who was beaten out for the job in center field this spring by Carlos Gomez, is batting .342 with 32 runs, three homers, 14 RBIs and 15 steals with a .436 on-base percentage in the leadoff spot for Rochester. He missed more than a month with a broken finger.
"As I told him when we sent him down, my goal was to try to figure out a way to get him up here and keep him up here and be able to use him properly," Gardenhire said. "I don't want him to sit on the bench."
At the 81-game mark, the Twins were right in the AL Central race - 1 1/2 games behind Chicago entering Sunday - but not the way they envisioned. Injuries up and down the roster and disappointing production by a few offseason acquisitions have forced several players into unexpectedly important roles. Span will be the latest example.
"I think it's been trial and error all the way up to this point," Gardenhire said.
The skipper sidestepped a question about whether he planned to play Span every day during Cuddyer's absence or continue to mix in usual designated hitter Jason Kubel in right field.
"I just plan to try to keep winning," Gardenhire said.
