KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -The Minnesota Twins may get rookie second baseman Alexi Casilla back sooner than initially expected after he went on the disabled list July 30 with a torn ligament in his right thumb.
Casilla was examined Friday by hand specialist Dr. Tom Varecka in Minneapolis and the Twins received an encouraging prognosis.
“He said it looks good,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said before Friday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals. “He seems to think he’ll be able to start activity next week and go from there. He’ll be in a splint for another week and start working out with us and start taking batting practice next week. Right now, everything is good and we’ll see in a week.”
The switch-hitting Casilla had a .313 average in 62 games before hurting his thumb sliding into second base against the Chicago White Sox.
“He really believes he can play right-handed right now,” Gardenhire said. “I wouldn’t be afraid to (do that). Whether we will nor not, I don’t know.”
Gardenhire said he does not think it would be necessary to send Casilla to the minors for a rehab assignment before activating him.
Outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who has missed 32 games since going on the disabled list June 28 with a strained tendon in his left index finger, is 3-for-10 on a rehab assignment with Rochester, the Twins’ International League farm club. Gardenhire said Cuddyer should join the club Monday, when the Twins open a three-game series with the New York Yankees.
Cuddyer was hitting .252 with three home runs and 35 RBIs in 62 games before the injury.
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