Justin Morneau will not return this season, the Twins announced today. Besides concussion symptoms, he's currently sick with the flu, and they've decided to do surgery to remove a cyst from his left knee, something he played with all year.
"It gets down to the point now, let's just get this [knee surgery] done," Manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's not going to play."
Morneau is still a big part of the team's plans for next year, although Manager Ron Gardenhire acknowledged time will tell before the team knows what role he'll play -- first base or DH. The main thing now is just letting him get healthy.
Thome trade completed
The Indians sent the Twins $20,000, in lieu of a player, to complete the Aug. 25 trade for Jim Thome.
The cash amount was part of the original agreement. Teams agree to swap a player to be named or a specific cash amount if they can't agree on the player.
"We exchanged some names both ways, and in the end, we both felt this was the proper way to go," said Twins General Manager Bill Smith.
From the beginning, the Twins were trying to find the right spot for Thome, who had a full no-trade clause and could control where he went. It's tough to get much in return for a 41-year-old part-time DH.
