A Two Paper Doll Day: Thome and Repko

Good grief. I'm beginning to think I need to make preemptive paper dolls for everyone on the team. It would be easier; these things are kind of a pain to make. Two more guys now puts the current number at six. I'm also beginning to wonder if Ron Gardenhire shouldn't send a multitude of gifts to Tom Nieto, the manager of the Rochester Red Wings, as an apology for destroying his team. I kind of feel bad for the Red Wings fans; it's hard to win with so much thrash -- don't we know it. Now that I'm done complaining, let's get on with this.

Jim Thome - Strained Left Oblique, retroactive to May 1

Big Jim has been slowed by soreness for a few games now. He sat for a couple of games, tried to man-up and power through on Saturday, but on Sunday, he just couldn't get loose again. The cold weather the Twins have been playing in can't be much help. And, well, to be blunt, he is 40.

The thing about oblique strains is that they can be kind of naggy. We've all had an oblique pull -- they take forever to feel better. And I imagine that anything I've suffered from is much, much less that what he's probably got.

He'll need plenty of rest; workouts could re-aggravate it. And hopefully the weather will turn more seasonal and warmer conditions will help.

The Twins have recalled INF Trevor Plouffe from AAA Rochester. He's batting .282 ba/ .344 obp/ .590 slg in 21 games. He struggled defensively during Spring Training, but has been doing much better during the Red Wings season.

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Jason Repko - Right Quad Strain, retroactive to May 2

Jason Repko's quad muscle has been barking for about a week. Gardy's tired of having a bench full of guys he can't use, so he put Repko on the DL.

I haven't been able to find much info on how this happened, so I'm going to go ahead and blame the cold weather on this one too. It's hard to keep one's legs loose when it's so cold that one needs earflaps on one's ballcap.

I don't know much about Repko's injury history, either. So it's really hard to tell when fans should expect him back. Hopefully, it's a slight strain, and he'll be back when the weather gets warmer.

The Twins recalled OF Ben Revere from AAA Rochester. He's batting .293/ .330/ .315 in 23 games. He started the season out slow, but he has been hitting very well the last handful of games. His defense is good, but his arm is a bit weak. He's fast, and can steal a base or two.

Updates:

Joe Mauer's legs feel stronger and he has started participating in baseball activities. He admitted that he wasn't strong enough coming out of Spring Training to handle everyday catching duties. There is still no timetable for his return.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka is in Fort Myers to continue his rehab after X-rays indicated that his fibula is healing on schedule. He's still at least 10 days away from rejoining the team. Some media members are speculating that he could be put at shortshop when he does return.

Kevin Slowey is pitching well in his rehab stint in Fort Myers. Gardenhire admitted that he's trying to increase his pitching load in case there's an emergency in the rotation, but that doesn't seem likely for now. The Twins expect to put him in the long relief role -- ready to pounce fill in if a starter needs him to.

Delmon Young is following his rehab program and feeling better every day. He's eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday, but he may need a bit more time. He should return within a week or so.

Currently, no one has the flu. At least, no one is admitting it.

There's been no word on whether the garbage can in the visiting dugout in Kansas City that Carl Pavano taught a lesson to will be placed on the DL or will simply retire from baseball. Word is that Alexi Casilla's bat, also involved in the lesson, is fine and has since resumed bunting baseballs into foul territory.

Other Transactions:

The Twins optioned C Steve Holm to AAA Rochester, with no corresponding move back up. They need a backup catcher, so this is an odd move. Even odder; they immediately quelled rumors about adding someone from outside the organization. They'll likely call up Danny Lehmann or Rene Rivera from Rochester. This is a head scratcher because neither Lehmann nor Rivera is much of an upgrade from Holm. Why bother wasting another minor-league option...unless they know that Mauer is still quite a long time from returning.