DETROIT -- Trevor Plouffe has been sent home to Minneapolis, suffering from the flu. He's also been placed on the disabled list with inflamation between the ninth rib and the costal cartilage on his left side, an injury that was aggravated by diving for a ground ball on Saturday.
Plouffe, the Twins' RBI leader this season with 38, has been replaced, at least temporarily, by shortstop Pedro Florimon, giving the Twins enough infielders to get through today's series finale at Comerica Park. Eduardo Nunez is receiving treatment for a hamstring strain that he believes won't linger more than a couple of days, and Brian Dozier is coming back from a sore back that caused him to miss Friday's game.
Florimon, optioned to Class AAA Rochester on May 8, was batting .230 with the Red Wings, and had committed 11 errors at shortstop. He has one hit in his last 25 major-league at-bats. Still, selecting Florimon over other infielders at Rochester or Class AA New Britain was an easy call, particularly given that the move is likely a temporary one, because he is already on the 40-man roster.
Meanwhile, manager Ron Gardenhire has made a switch in his lineup, moving the slumping Joe Mauer, who is batting a career-worst .257, to second in the batting order and slotting Dozier, whose 15 home runs are triple the number of any other Twins player, into the third spot.
Here are the lineups for today's noon CT game, as the Twins try to win their second straight series in Comerica Park:
TWINS
Santana SS
Mauer 1B
Dozier 2B
Willingham LF
Morales DH
Arcia RF
Suzuki C
Fuld CF
Escobar 3B
Nolasco RHP
TIGERS
Kinsler 2B
Hunter RF
Cabrera 1B
V. Martinez DH
J.D. Martinez LF
Jackson CF
Castellanos 3B
Avila C
Suarez SS