BOSTON - The Twins are trying to get Joe Mauer ready to catch the final "four-plus" months of the season, General Manager Bill Smith said Monday, hinting that the four-time All-Star would return sometime before June 1.
But the team has no interest in rushing Mauer back before he's ready, even for a temporary stint at designated hitter to fill one of the gaping holes in the Twins lineup.
Mauer, who is recovering from bilateral leg weakness and a viral infection, has been swinging a bat at Target Field since Wednesday. He last played April 12, and the Twins have given no official timetable for his return.
Nobody has even suggested bringing Mauer back until he is ready to catch, Smith said.
"We're rehabbing him to come back and be our main catcher for the final four-plus months of the season," Smith said in a phone interview. "The only way we're going to achieve that goal is to have him go through the rehab process that he's going through now."
Mauer, 28, batted .235 with no homers and four RBI in nine games before going on the DL. Still, he's a three-time batting champion and the 2009 American League MVP, and some would argue that having Mauer hitting at 50 percent would be better than some of the alternatives.
With Delmon Young and Jim Thome also on the DL, the Twins could put Jason Kubel in left field, instead of at DH, which would lessen the playing time for rookies Ben Revere and Rene Tosoni.
The Twins haven't had Young in the lineup since April 18; Thome hasn't played since April 30.