FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - While Minnesota Twins pitchers and catchers finished their first official spring training workout outside, Joe Mauer finished his inside the team's weight room.
Mauer's goal is to be behind the plate when the regular season begins on April 6, but he said he won't be ready to play in the Twins' exhibition opener on Feb. 25. The catcher and reigning AL batting leader had surgery Dec. 22 to remove a blockage from one of his kidneys. He's been told not to run until his abdominal muscles heal."I'm on schedule to where I should be," Mauer said Monday. "So that's good. I just have to keep on doing what they're telling me, and I'll be out there soon enough."
Mauer said he wants to be playing by April 1, and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he should be able to pick up his pace once the medical staff clears him to play.
"It's going to be a slow process," Gardenhire said. "Our goal is opening day, having him ready to go."
Gardenhire said Mauer could catch up more quickly by starting in an exhibition game and then getting four or five more at-bats later in the day with the minor leaguers on the other side of the Lee County Sports Complex.
"Obviously, I'd like to be a little more prepared, but I don't think it will be a problem," Mauer said. "I'd like to be out there tomorrow, but that's not going to happen."
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