Twins closer Glen Perkins has had a setback in his recovery from soreness in his left shoulder and will not throw off a mound on Monday as scheduled.
The new plan is for him to wait until the end of the week before trying to play catch again. The hope for him is to build arm strength so he can throw in the bullpen. But that could take time, because Perkins revealed Sunday he still is having discomfort in the shoulder.
"When I go throw it feels like — I don't want to say a knife-stabbing pain — but it is a pain in the front of my shoulder," he said. "And when I let the ball go, to me, it feels like the joint opens up and then when I throw it slams shut. It's not comfortable. Painful somewhat, but at the same time, I'm not like wincing. It's a discomfort. It just doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel even close to right, to be honest."
Perkins hasn't pitched since April 10, and the bullpen has been in shambles without him. Trevor May and Kevin Jepsen have tried to carry the load in the eighth and ninth innings, but their uneven performances have cost the team games.
Even if Perkins pitches pain-free the next two weeks, he still would need another spring training-like period to get his arm game-ready. So it could be several more weeks before Perkins appears in a game.
"Right now, I'm hopeful that probably on Thursday or Friday, I think I'll throw," he said. "Then a week after that I'll have a better idea of where I'm at, if it's worth continuing to throw or if it is worth getting it looked at again."
Twins General Manager Terry Ryan believes the setback will not cost Perkins much time.
"We've got to get back to playing catch before we get him on the mound," Ryan said. "Hopefully, that comes sooner than later. It should not be long before he starts playing catch."
