CLEVELAND -- Joe Mauer left Sunday's 6-3 victory over Cleveland in the ninth inning with a mild sprain of his right thumb and is day-to-day, according to the Twins.
Mauer went 1-for-3 with an RBI single, a walk and a run scored in his first four plate appearances as the designated hitter, leaving his batting average at .298. He said the injury happened in his last at-bat, a strikeout against Cleveland lefthander Nick Hagadone.
"I fouled a pitch back, and I felt it on that, and then it was a little worse on that last swing, too," Mauer said. "But the good news is it should only be day-to-day, so that's good."
Mauer, 29, has played in 52 of the Twins' 53 games this year after injuries limited him to 82 games last year. Sunday was one of the first times this season he's had to answer questions about an injury.
"Hopefully you guys [in the media] don't come up to me any more for that reason," he said, "But I'm hoping to get back in there real soon."
