With Joe Mauer laid up for the next 15 to 20 days because of a strained left quadriceps muscle, there has been more talk of the Twins catcher shifting to another position, where he might stay healthier.
However, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire says that is not going to happen.
"Mauer loves to catch and he doesn't want to play any other position," Gardenhire said. "He does a great job of handling the pitchers, and that is where he wants to be."
Gardenhire said Mauer does have enough athletic ability to play another position if the team ever wanted to move him.
The big worry is that doctors are talking about Mauer possibly being out up to three weeks. The Twins definitely are going to miss his bat. That was apparent after they hit .204 in the six home games against the Red Sox and the White Sox without Mauer in the lineup. The Twins lost two out of three games in each series.
Meanwhile, Gardenhire said he can't convince catcher Mike Redmond to take a day off. "He wants to play every day," Gardenhire said.
The Twins are lucky to have Redmond -- not only on the field, but in the clubhouse, where he is a great leader.
Ford might help
Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said the team has to find a way to beat lefthanded pitchers and said the possible recall of outfielder Lew Ford from Class AAA Rochester in the next couple of days could help the problem.
"Well, I just left him in Rochester, and he's about ready to come back up here, and we'll probably bring him back in the next couple of days," Ryan said. "I'm hoping that when he does come back, he'll be part of solving the problem. We've got to find a way to beat left-handed pitchers. And righthanded bats ultimately will be a little bit of the problem-solver. You know, Lew's been here, we've all seen Lew. And he's got speed, he can throw, he can play all three outfield positions. But he's not going to be the answer to everything that is our problem offensively.
"We're going to have to have a lot of people contribute."
Ryan said he has no plans to trade for a righthanded hitter but said that might become necessary late in the season.
"As you get into this thing and if things don't go the way they're supposed to at a particular position, you've got to end up addressing it," Ryan said. "As you get into the rest of the spring and ultimately June here, you're going to have to find ways to score more runs. If we don't, then you have to start making adjustments."
Investigation continues
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said there isn't any news on the status of Gophers football players Alex Daniels, Keith Massey and E.J. Jones, who were taken into custody April 7 by university police who were investigating a complaint of criminal sexual conduct.
The players were released without being charged.
Freeman said he doesn't want to be involved in anything resembling the Duke University lacrosse situation in which players were charged and then found innocent. So the investigation continues without any time limit, Freeman said.
Gophers football coach Tim Brewster said he can't take any action until he hears from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
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