As eager as the Twins are to get Joe Mauer back in the lineup, they have been dreading the difficult decision about how to make room on their roster. But the solution may have presented itself, inside Mike Redmond's right shoulder.
The Twins' veteran backup catcher has had trouble throwing all month, part of the reason he is 0-for-10 in throwing out base-stealers so far. The soreness grew bad enough over the weekend that Redmond went to the training staff, which ordered an MRI. The test didn't turn up any abnormal damage, but doctors put Redmond, who was already hobbled by a strained groin two weeks earlier, on anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the stiffness. Mauer will return to the Twins' lineup on Friday, but he's expected to play only four or five games a week until he feels strong enough to do more. The Twins are reluctant to carry two injury-plagued catchers on the roster, particularly with rookie Jose Morales batting .349 over the season's first month. Redmond's shoulder problem gives them a solution.
"I'm feeling a lot better. I hope to be ready to play again by Friday," Redmond said Wednesday, but the decision to shut down for another week may be made for him. Manager Ron Gardenhire hinted that the Twins might want Redmond, whose lone D.L. stint in his 12-year career came in 1998, to rest his arm and groin for another week, buying more time for Mauer to work himself into shape.
"We're still looking at all our options," Gardenhire said of the decision, which won't be made before Friday. "Right now, Red's an emergency catcher only."
TWINS 8, RAYS 3: The top three hitters in Minnesota's lineup combined to go 9-for-14, and the Twins won their second straight series by pasting Tampa Bay left-hander Scott Kazmir for eight runs over four innings. The Twins, who had not won a series against the Rays since 2006, scored four first-inning runs, two of them on Kazmir wild pitches, and handed Nick Blackburn a big lead that he turned into his second win of the season. Five different Twins drove in runs as Minnesota closed the season's first month at 11-11.
