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La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune KANSAS CITY, MO. -- Catcher Joe Mauer is expected to rejoin the Twins on Wednesday after recovering from an injured left knee. Mauer, who had surgery to repair a slightly torn meniscus April 8, was 2-for-4 with a RBI on Saturday as he caught for Class AAA Rochester. He was scheduled to be the designated hitter Sunday, then catch today and Tuesday. "He will catch back-to back games, and on Wednesday there's a good possibility he will be back in the Twin Cities," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "So the parade and the dancing girls will be at the airport. I'll give you the information." Mauer, who was 3-for-4 in two games before injuring his knee while chasing a foul ball, began a minor league rehabilitation stint last week in Fort Myers, Fla., and was moved to Rochester for the weekend. "He only got a chance to play in the first couple of games and he gets hurt," Gardenhire said. "I'm sure he's anxious to get back to the big leagues. Our plans were for him to be our catcher. He brings a lot to the table."
The replacementHenry Blanco got off to a fast start as Mauer's replacement, and his season has taken a sharp turn. Blanco's single in the fourth inning of Sunday's 8-3 victory over the Royals produced his first RBI since May 7. Blanco entered the game with one RBI in his past 84 at-bats.
Not good newsInfielder Nick Punto is not doing well in recovering from a left oblique muscle strain, making his return date uncertain. Alex Prieto, who hit his first major league home run Sunday, will remain the utility infielder indefinitely.Outfielder Shannon Stewart called teammate Torii Hunter to say he's going to be a out longer than he expected. Doctors want to make sure that the torn tissue in Stewart's right foot is fully healed. Stewart was expected to missed another two weeks but is more likely to miss up to a month. "Which is frustrating to Stew," Gardenhire said. "That's what Torii told me. We have to make sure he protects his foot. They are adding a little time to [the recovery]. We have to get his foot right. That's the way it is." Lew Ford, who homered Sunday, will continue to fill in for Stewart in left field and as the leadoff hitter.
Etc.• J.C. Romero and Corey Koskie on Saturday took part on Christian Family Day at Kauffman Stadium following the Twins-Royals game. Romero stood next to Carlos Beltran, who, hours earlier, had hit a three-run double off him to help the Royals win the game. Koskie addressed the audience of about 2,000 and, with his voice cracking at times, described how he gathered the strength to deal with his wife's two miscarriages.• Gardenhire has some tough roster decisions coming up as Mauer prepares to return to the team. With interleague road games beginning June 15, Gardenhire would like to reduce his 12-man pitching staff by one. He'll need the extra position player for possible double switches. • Right fielder Jacque Jones is 0-for-11 since homering Thursday. • Shortstop Cristian Guzman didn't start Sunday so he could get a brief rest.
Webposted 05/31/04
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