If filed, grievance could take a while

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: July 22, 2008 - 8:06 AM

NEW YORK - If the Major League Baseball Players Association decides to file a grievance on behalf of Twins lefthander Francisco Liriano, it probably won't be resolved quickly.

First, the union has to decide if the issue is worth pursuing. Greg Bouris, the director of communications for the union, said Monday that the union only is in "the investigative phase right now."

If a grievance is filed, the Twins get to respond to the charges and the union can appeal if it doesn't agree with the club's decision. That could take several weeks, if both sides use up all the allotted time.

If there's still no resolution, a hearing will be scheduled. But Bouris pointed out that the collective bargaining agreement states a hearing can be scheduled for up to year from when the grievance was filed.

The union is looking into filing a grievance at the request of Liriano's agent, Greg Genske. Genske said he believes Liriano has been kept in the minors to prevent him from earning enough major league service time to qualify for arbitration.

Finger injury updates

Infielder Nick Punto said his strained left ring finger felt much better after receiving a cortisone shot Friday. He went through a full pregame workout Monday and was available off the bench.

Today, the Twins should learn the results of a CT scan done on outfielder Michael Cuddyer's strained left index finger. The exam was done Monday, but Twins hand specialist Dr. Tom Varecka was in surgery all day and couldn't read the results.

The Twins want to get to the bottom of an injury that has taken longer to heal than they anticipated.

"We need to find out exactly what is going on," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I think he needs to find out. Not being able to get to where he can start doing baseball stuff is really frustrating for him. I'm sure he wants to find out. Maybe this will show us a little something more."

Duensing to Olympics

Class AAA Rochester lefthander Brian Duensing has been named to the U.S. Olympic baseball team. He will join the team Monday in time for a few exhibition games in Durham, N.C., before the team travels to China.

Duensing, 5-10 with a 4.28 ERA for the Red Wings, has experience in international baseball. He pitched for Team USA in November in the IBAF World Cup in Taiwan.

Etc.

• Shortstop Adam Everett, who has played four minor league games while on a rehabilitation assignment, has had another cortisone shot in his troublesome right shoulder. It's the third time this year Everett has had a shot in the shoulder. He hasn't played since May 22, and his return isn't expected anytime soon.

• Infielder Matt Tolbert, on the disabled list because of a torn ligament in his left thumb, has battled some swelling in his hand after swinging off a tee a couple of times. The Twins hoped he could begin most baseball-related activities by Aug. 1, but that seems unlikely now.

• Yankees catcher Jorge Posada has been placed on the 15-day disabled list because of recurring shoulder problems that have hampered his throwing. He will have an MRI exam today, but indications are that he needs surgery. He could postpone surgery and try to finish out the season, but he has thrown out only three of 34 basestealers this season.