MIAMI (AP) -Minnesota Twins slugger Justin Morneau was expected to be released from the hospital Saturday following treatment for a bruised right lung that will likely sideline him for at least a couple of games.
Morneau was injured Friday in a collision with Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo and spent the night in the hospital. He was scheduled to see a specialist at the hospital late Saturday afternoon before being released, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
The Twins were relieved the injury wasn’t more serious. The collision left Morneau dazed on the ground, and when he reached the dugout he coughed up blood and struggled to breathe.
He left the stadium on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask. A CT scan was normal, and X-rays were negative.
“When you see Morneau down on the field, obviously he doesn’t stay down very often,” Gardenhire said. “He’s a big strong hockey guy. So when he was hurting like that and couldn’t catch his breath, we were a little concerned.”
Olivo was unhurt.
Morneau, the 2006 American League MVP, is second in the AL with 20 home runs. He had a streak of 191 consecutive games going into Saturday night’s game at Florida.
“It wasn’t the easiest lineup I’ve tried to figure out, without his name batting fourth or fifth,” Gardenhire said. “It’s going to be different obviously for a few days.”
Morneau’s consecutive-games streak was the fourth-longest among active players. Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada led with 1,152 consecutive games until he was placed on the disabled list Friday with a wrist injury.
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