CHICAGO – Tommy Milone tried to throw in the bullpen Saturday morning in advance of his start Monday.
"It was not good," he said.
Soon after that, the Twins announced that Milone would not make his start on Monday against the Tigers. And the Twins aren't sure if Milone will return to the mound before the season ends.
"I can't predict when that's going to ultimately be healthy enough for him to take the mound," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said. "I don't know."
Milone felt pain shoot up his neck Wednesday during long-toss drills and felt discomfort throughout his session Saturday.
"I could feel it on pretty much every throw," Milone said. "It wasn't bad but I could tell I was holding back. I was trying to not make my neck hurt.
"The last two pitches I tried to let it go like I would normally in a game. And it didn't feel good. We shut it down."
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Anthony Swarzak is the preferred candidate to start in place of Milone, but that's if the bullpen survives three games in two days in Chicago, thanks to Friday's rainout creating a doubleheader Saturday. Swarzak is 3-1 with a 3.95 ERA in 47 games, including one start.
