Morneau swings lead Twins to 'readjust the situation'

Justin Morneau tried to take some swings in the cage this afternoon, but said his sore wrist has not improved at all. So the Twins will place him on the 15-day disabled list and replace him with someone from the minors.

The Twins don't have enough time to get someone out to Seattle, so they will officially make the move in time to start their three-game home series against the Angels at Target Field.

"He went down to the cage today, took about 16, 17 swings," Twins assistant General Manager Rob Antony day. "Said it felt about the same as it did about five days ago. So we're going to have to readjust the situation. We're not going to do anything today. We wouldn't be able to get anyone in here today anyway. We're probably going to have to do something before we get back home."

Morneau said he expects to be checked out by Twins specialist Dr. Tom Varecka when the team returns from its West Coast road trip. The Twins will backdate the move to Monday, when he left a game against the Angels.

"Give it a little more time and hopefully let it calm down to where I can swing normally and be productive," Morneau said.

This is something Morneau doesn't want to bother him all season. There has been no talk of him needing a pain-killing injection because he's dealing with tendonitis.

Check back later for more details.

Mauer in the bullpen

Joe Mauer hasn't caught in a game since taking a foul tip off the inside of his left knee on Sunday at Target Field. He ran the bases on Friday as if the knee still bothered him some.
But Mauer slipped on the tools of ignorance on Saturday and caught in the bullpen before the game.
"He said he's fine," Ullger said. "And, hopefully, Joe will be behind the plate [Sunday]. We'll see where he is when he comes in."
With Justin Morneau headed to the disabled list because of a sore left wrist, it's important for the Twins to keep Mauer's bat in the lineup, whether it's at catcher, first base or as the designated hitter. He had the game-winning hit on Friday in a 3-2 win over the Mariners.

Diamond coming up?

No word yet on if the Twins plan to call up lefthander Scott Diamond to join the rotation. Diamond was pulled on Friday after throwing 47 pitches over three innings for Class AAA Rochester. It could be a signal that they want him to start on Tuesday against the Angels.
Righthander Liam Hendriks is listed as the starter for that game, but he has struggled in recent outings and was criticized by manager Ron Gardenhire on Wednesday after putting the Twins in a hole while they were no-hit by Jered Weaver. By throwing 47 pitches, Diamond could come back on three days rest to start on Tuesday.

Etc.

Infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, on the disabled list at Rochester with a high right ankle sprain, could return to action in a few days.

Twins (7-18)

1. Denard Span, CF
2. Jamey Carroll, SS
3. Joe Mauer, DH
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Ryan Doumit, C
6. Chris Parmelee, 1B
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Erik Komatsu. RF
9. Alexi Casilla, 2B

Jason Marquis, RHP

Mariners (11-17)