Kenta Maeda goes on injured list because of forearm tightness

BOSTON — The forearm tightness that Kenta Maeda felt during Saturday's loss to the Yankees will keep the Twins righthander off the field for at least the rest of August.

Maeda, 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 106⅓ innings this season, was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday, a day before the Twins open a three-game series with the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Imaging tests found inflammation in Maeda's flexor muscle in his forearm, but no tears in the ligaments of his elbow, said Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey.

"We don't know yet what the course of treatment will be. We're still gathering information," Falvey said. "Shutting him down for two-plus weeks is [likely]. It's just a matter of whether it goes beyond that."

It's Maeda's second stint on the injured list this season; he becomes the 11th Twins pitcher currently on the IL. In May, Maeda, last year's AL Cy Young Award runner-up, was sidelined for three weeks by a sore adductor muscle in his right hip.

Maeda's roster spot will be filled by Miguel Sano, who returns Tuesday from the paternity list after the birth in Minneapolis last week of his daughter, Danea.

Filling Maeda's spot in the rotation will be trickier, especially since the Twins on Tuesday embark on a stretch of 22 games in 23 days.

Andrew Albers, currently in the Twins bullpen after making 15 starts for Class AAA St. Paul this year, is a possibility. Randy Dobnak made his first rehab start over the weekend in Fort Myers, Fla., but he has thrown only three innings since June 21 and likely needs several weeks to rebuild arm strength. It's also possible that Drew Strotman or Joe Ryan, acquired from Tampa Bay in the July trade for Nelson Cruz, could make their major league debuts in the final six weeks of the season.