Stealth comeback: Morneau doubles in his long-awaited return

FORT MYERS, FLA. — A tall man wearing sunglasses and the No. 33 began loosening up Tuesday morning on a back field at the Lee County Sports Complex.

Chris Parmelee's name was on the lineup card at first base, but he wouldn't be starting. With the Pirates in town for a B-game, the Twins had kept their real first baseman's identity a secret.

Justin Morneau wanted minimal fanfare, but eight months and one day after suffering a concussion, he finally was ready to play.

"He showed up on that field, and I was shocked," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I'm kidding. I got a call from [General Manager Bill Smith], telling me he'd like to get in the lineup, if I could make that possible."

Gardenhire's ruse only added to the fun, as Morneau played four innings, going 1-for-2 with a three-run double before about 200 fans gathered outside the chain-link fence.

Morneau, 29, spent the game smiling and giving fist bumps, clearly enjoying himself, but he warned afterward that this is still a process.

"I just don't want to get overly excited by [four] innings of one game," Morneau said. "It's great to be out there, but I've been through some setbacks along the way."

He added: "[Wednesday], when I wake up, if everything feels good, I think the confidence will start to grow then."

The All-Star first baseman said he had a long phone conversation Monday with his doctor, a concussion specialist from the University of Pittsburgh. Morneau had flown to Pittsburgh for a series of tests last Wednesday and returned to have five more days of workouts, symptom-free.

"[The doctor] assured me that the data and everything he's seen supports that I'm not more at risk than anybody else who took a fastball off the head," Morneau said. "That was kind of what I needed to hear."

The doctor also wanted to hear Morneau say he was ready. When that happened, the doctor spoke to Smith, and the Twins cleared Morneau to play.

"Every decision we make is with Justin's long-term health first and foremost, and his baseball career second," Smith said. "All that said, we're all looking forward to getting him back in the middle of the lineup as soon as we can."

Morneau's four innings were filled with reminders that baseball can be a dangerous game, especially for someone recovering from a concussion.

Following Morneau's first at-bat -- a fielder's choice grounder to second -- Pirates righthander Brad Lincoln threw a fastball near hitter Luke Hughes' head. The next inning, Hughes ran back from his second base position to catch a pop fly and nearly collided with right fielder Jeff Bailey.

Later, Twins shortstop Chase Lambin made a throw in the dirt that bounced off Morneau's chest. But the most harrowing moment occurred after Morneau lined his three-run double down the right field line in the third inning. With Morneau on second base, Trevor Plouffe hit a bloop single to center. Morneau rounded third, and the center fielder made a throw home.

"My first thought was, 'Is there going to be a play at the plate?' " Morneau said. "My second thought was, avoid contact."

Morneau said he learned his lesson about home-plate collisions in June 2007, when he was hospitalized for a bruised lung after trying to run over Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo in Miami. Now he's recovering from another bruise -- a brain bruise.

Morneau suffered a concussion July 7 in Toronto, when he slid into second base, trying to break up a double play, and got kneed in the head by Blue Jays shortstop John McDonald.

The ensuing months have been a roller coaster, which is why Morneau described himself as cautiously optimistic. He is wearing one of the bigger batting helmets, with more protection, but doesn't plan to wear a helmet on defense.

Morneau won't play in Wednesday's game against the Orioles in Sarasota, Fla., but he plans to work out in Fort Myers. Gardenhire has penciled him into the lineup for Thursday against the Blue Jays.

"I've been through so many ups and downs with this thing," Morneau said. "When I see myself in the lineup on April 1 [for the season opener in Toronto], and we're running out there as a team, then I'll be 100 percent confident that I'm ready."