Mauer says he's feeling good as hip flexor pain subsides

After the painstaking offseason Joe Mauer had last year, Twins General Manager Bill Smith seemed thrilled to report Tuesday that Mauer is expecting some normalcy this winter.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: November 4, 2009 - 11:30 AM

After the painstaking offseason Joe Mauer had last year, Twins General Manager Bill Smith seemed thrilled to report Tuesday that Mauer is expecting some normalcy this winter.

Mauer went to Baltimore last week for a follow-up on the lower-back injury that befuddled the All-Star catcher last winter, forcing him to miss all of spring training and the season's first month.

Though Mauer, 26, reported no setbacks with his inflamed sacroiliac joint, he had hip flexor pain during the Division Series against the Yankees. Those concerns have since subsided.

"He's doing very well," Smith said. "We've gotten all good reports. I think he's pleased and looking forward to a fairly normal offseason and normal preparation for spring training."

Mauer confirmed via text, writing, "Things r looking good."

Mauer, 26, had surgery to remove a kidney obstruction last Dec. 22 at Rochester's Mayo Clinic. He hoped to be ready for spring training, but the lower-back pain lingered. On March 13, Mauer went to Baltimore for a second opinion from a Johns Hopkins specialist, and he later called that the turning point.

After making his season debut May 1, Mauer became the first catcher in major league history to lead his league in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587).

Besides following up with the Johns Hopkins specialist, Mauer had also planned to meet with his Baltimore-based agent, Ron Shapiro, to discuss his next contract.

Mauer's current four-year, $33 million deal expires after next season, so the Twins are expected to push for a long-term extension.

Buscher cut

The Twins cut infielder Brian Buscher from their 40-man roster, outrighting him to Class AAA Rochester. He can become a minor-league free agent 16 days after the World Series.

Buscher, 28, batted .235 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 61 games for the Twins this season, posting a .360 OBP and a .316 SLG.

The Twins did not have Buscher on their original 25-man playoff roster, though he did replace Matt Tolbert after he suffered a strained oblique muscle.

"We like [Buscher] a lot," Smith said. "Unfortunately, he's one of the casualties, as we set our roster."