The Twins officially shut down Justin Morneau for the season Sunday, marking the second year in a row they've done this because of his concussion symptoms. He's hoping this recovery goes much quicker.
Morneau, 30, hasn't played since Aug. 28, when he dived for a ball down the first-base line and landed awkwardly on his left shoulder. He didn't hit his head on the ground, but he jarred himself and felt a headache and fogginess the next day.
Morneau said his symptoms are more mild than they were one year ago and yet they haven't subsided.
"The test results show that the impact test wasn't back to normal, so there's a protocol to follow," he said. "Everything isn't regular yet. We're going to run out of time [this season], so there's no reason to try to push through it and have it linger like it did last offseason. I'll be able to have a regular winter of working out and doing things to prepare like I normally do."
Morneau, who dealt with a recent bout of the flu, also will have two minor surgeries Monday -- one to remove a cyst from his left knee and one to remove a bone spur from his right foot.
In late June, Morneau had surgery to relieve a pinched nerve in his neck, which was causing numbness in his left index finger and weakness in his left arm. He also played with a strained left wrist and finished the season batting .227 with four homers and 30 RBI in 69 games.
"It's been a year to forget, that's for sure," Morneau said. "I try to have a good perspective on it. I've visited the Children's Hospital plenty of times and seen sick kids, kids with cancer. There's a lot worse situations than me. I'm not able to play baseball, but I try to keep it in perspective. It's not life or death."
He also suffered concussions in 2005, when he was hit in the head with a pitch, and on July 7, 2010, when he was kneed in the head trying to break up a double play.
