Glen Perkins was back with the Minnesota Twins in Baltimore on Thursday.
Perkins missed the final game of the Twins’ series in New York on Wednesday as he went back to Minneapolis for tests on his bothersome neck.
An MRI exam on Perkins’ neck revealed a bulging disk, so the Twins left-handed closer received a pair of cortisone shots between the C-5 and C-6 vertebrae and the C-6 and C-7.
Perkins told reporters Thursday he is feeling much better now.
“I wanted to get it done at a time when we still had time left here and I could make a difference throughout the rest of the season,” Perkins told reporters Thursday. “The last month hasn’t gone how any of us wanted. I haven’t done my job. I think this will help going forward.”
So how long before the Perkins can get back on the mound?
Perkins received two shots for a bulging disk. Feels much better. But buy the time he lets medicine work, plays catch and throws in pen…..
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) August 20, 2015
….he probably won't be ready for a game till Tuesday
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) August 20, 2015
Perkins, who converted his first 28 save opportunities this season, began to battle the issue in June. The Pioneer Press notes he was unavailable for a game in Milwaukee in late June and again for a game in the next series in Cincinnati, then went to see a chiropractor in Kansas City, where he made two saves.
But since the All-Star break, Perkins has blown two of five save opportunities, taken three losses, compiled an 8.10 ERA and seen his strikeout rate drop from 25 percent to 14 percent.
“I regret not probably getting it taken care of earlier,” Perkins said. “But like I said, there were days where I felt that I could compete. So when there are days you feel that you can compete, it’s hard to say, ‘I’m going to take a couple days off and get this done.'”
Until Perkins is able to return Kevin Jepsen and Trevor May will fill the role of Twins closer.
