Joe Mauer was originally expected to miss two or three games with tightness in his neck, but his injury has since been diagnosed a cervical strain and concussion-like symptoms, forcing the Twins to take caution and place him on the 10-day disabled list.
“The concerning part for us is some other symptoms yesterday that involved some balance issues and light sensitivity and things that didn’t sound good,” manager Paul Molitor said Saturday.
Mauer suffered the injury diving for a foul ball against the Angels on May 11. He played in every game this week before leaving Friday’s game in the fifth inning, prompting the Twins to test him for a concussion.
“So we ran through the protocol last night, and there was no definitive answer there as far as what exactly is ongoing,” said Molitor. “But given his history and the fact that we’re already playing short-handed, it looks to me like it’s gonna be at least a few days. So we’re gonna go ahead and shut him down and just give him a chance to get well.”
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Mauer is going to stay at home for the next few days while the symptoms subside.
“I don’t want to make any comments about long-term because we took a pretty cautious approach to this,” said Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey. “We just want Joe to be in the right place when he returns. So we’ll take it day by day.”
With Mauer out, Logan Morrison will serve as the everyday first baseman.
