Surgery reveals Twins closer Glen Perkins had more shoulder damage than thought

Twins closer Glen Perkins had surgery Thursday to repair a torn labrum and now faces a lengthy recovery.

During the surgery, the labrum had to be reattached to the bone. If it wasn't detached, there was a chance Perkins' recovery would just be a few months. But the procedure done in Los Angeles means that the process to get back on the mound will be longer. In many cases, that means around eight months, but, in a text to the Star Tribune, Perkins wasn't clear.

"It's going to be awhile," he said.

Perkins came down with shoulder soreness during the first week of the season, and tried to attack the problem with rehab. After experiencing pain while attempting to increase his throwing, Perkins last week was examined by specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache, and surgery was recommended.

Even if it takes eight months, Perkins could be ready to pitch in a game by early in the 2017 season. The Twins likely will provide more clarity Friday.

Perkins wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday that the surgery "will most likely affect my career in some capacity."

Designated hitter Byung Ho Park's recent struggles could make him the odd man out when Miguel Sano returns from the disabled list.

Park's recent slide — he went 0-for-3 Thursday with a sacrifice fly and is 2-for-28 over his past eight games — has pulled his batting average down to .200. Twins manager Paul Molitor sat Park out of five games since June 12 because of it.

"I haven't changed my opinion on the fact that I think his signing is going to, over time, prove to be a valid one," Molitor said of the four-year, $12 million deal Park signed in December. "I think how he was able to start originally maybe raised a lot of people's expectations on how fast his transition was going to be. It's just been more where we're kind of back to how we thought it might be."

The Twins will have to make a roster move when they believe Sano, who will begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment Friday, is ready to be activated. If Park doesn't get things turned around, he might be sent to Class AAA Rochester.

"We're going to have to have some decisions made here eventually once Miguel comes back, whether [sending Park or another player to the minors] would be the right or wrong thing, depending on how this next week goes," Molitor said. "We're going to have to consider different things. I'm not ready to go to 12 pitchers yet. You look at our position players, and if Miguel gets activated in a week or whatever, we're going to have to figure out how it's going to fit and who's going to go down there and maybe get consistent at-bats."

Ryan's comment came before Plouffe had to leave the game in the sixth inning after trying to leg out a hit and suffering a mild right groin strain. He was in so much discomfort that he had trouble walking off the field, but felt much better after the game and hopes to avoid landing on the disabled list.

"We'll evaluate it [Friday] and see how it goes," Plouffe said, "but I feel pretty good right now. For as much progress as it has made, just within the hour [after the game], I'll be OK."

Plouffe is day-to-day, but how he feels after a night of rest will go a long way in determining his availability for the Yankees series.

• Righthander Trevor May [back] will throw in the bullpen Friday. If that goes well, he will head to Rochester for a rehab stint.

• The Twins signed first-round pick Alex Kirilloff; his deal includes a signing bonus of $2,817,100.