Twins

Twins catcher Mitch Garver set for return after All-Star break

Garver has missed the past month after having groin surgery when he was struck by a foul tip.

By Randy Johnson

July 5, 2021 at 10:56PM

Twins assistant athletic trainer Matt Biancuzzo talked to catcher Mitch Garver after he took a foul ball to the groin during a game in Baltimore on June 1. (Julio Cortez, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Twins catcher Mitch Garver, out since June 2 because of surgery after being hit in the groin with a foul tip, continues to progress toward a return the lineup, but will remain sidelined until after the All-Star break.

The Twins – and Garver himself – are being especially cautious in dealing with the injury to a sensitive area.

"I have to take it a little bit slower,'' Garver acknowledged.

Garver began running full sprints on Saturday and on Monday was hitting and throwing without restrictions. Catching drills come next to "make sure you're comfortable before you get in a situation you can't control,'' he said.

"Mitch is doing well still,'' manager Rocco Baldelli said before Monday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field. "He has not had any setbacks. It's just something we have to be certain of. He's probably going to be coming back after the All-Star break by the time he can get out there and do all of the things that are necessary to catch.''

Garver was batting .224 with eight home runs and 17 RBI in 41 games before the injury. Now, he's trying to make sure he can return safely.

"Obviously, you don't want to get hit there again,'' Garver said. "If there was any way to prevent that, I'd have no problem. I want to make sure with the doctors that if I do get hit there again, there's no chance of serious damage.''

Baldelli applauded Garver's approach.

"He's a hard guy to keep off the field, but with this particular issue, he understands there's no discussion to be had,'' he said. "You can't talk yourself onto the field with what he's had to go through.''

Cruz, Donaldson still out

Designated hitter Nelson Cruz and third baseman Josh Donaldson were not in the starting lineup Monday.

Cruz, who leads the Twins with 18 home runs and 45 RBI, missed his second consecutive game because of a sore neck. Baldelli said Cruz couldn't turn his neck on Sunday and that Cruz believes a lingering chest cold has been the source of his issues.

"That actually came up with him coughing, violently,'' Baldelli said. "He's had a really bad chest cold for weeks now. It's something he's been playing with, but he can't stop coughing. … He's at the doctor today getting looked at.''

Cruz recently has been wearing a mask while playing.

Donaldson left Saturday's game at Kansas City because of tightness in his right hamstring and did not play Sunday. He remains day to day, Baldelli said.

Etc.

Center fielder Byron Buxton (fractured left hand) has been doing aerobic conditioning exercises, but his hand remains in a splint. "It's going to be a little while,'' Baldelli said of Buxton, who was hit by a pitch on June 22.
Righthander Michael Pineda (forearm) is progressing toward rejoining the rotation. "I could see him starting in the big leagues next time out,'' Baldelli said of Pineda, who made a rehab start at Class AAA St. Paul on Thursday.
Monday's game marked the first time the Twins were completely free of COVID-19 attendance restrictions. "It's something that everyone in baseball has been waiting for – very patiently,'' Baldelli said. "To have the ability to pack a stadium and feel what that is like would be great – at home where it means something in front of the people that love the Twins.''
Righthander Matt Shoemaker cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to St. Paul. Shoemaker is 3-8 with an 8.06 ERA in 16 appearances.
Drew Maggi, the first Saints player to hit home runs in four consecutive games, was named Class AAA East player of the week. The 32-year-old went 9-for-21 in five games.