Justin Morneau shut down for season; will undergo minor knee surgery
Get the 1500 ESPN SportsWire delivered to your inbox daily, and keep up with all the news in Twin Cities Sports
MINNEAPOLIS -- Add Justin Morneau to the list of Minnesota Twins players who will not play again this season.
Sidelined since Aug. 28 with more mild concussion symptoms, Morneau has officially been shut down for the final 12 games.
The team also announced that Morneau will undergo minor surgery Monday to remove a cyst from his left knee, as well as minor surgery to clean out his right foot.
Head athletic trainer Rick McWane classified the knee surgery as "a very simple procedure," adding that Morneau's knee has bothered him to some degree "off and on for about a year."
"Our plan for him is to just go ahead and take care of the orthopedic problems that he has and hopefully get him healthy as soon as possible so he can start his offseason workout program," McWane said.
And because Morneau recently came down with a flu bug, McWane said the team has had trouble even gauging the extent of his concussion symptoms over the past week.
"He's been sick and throwing up and had a headache, so we haven't had a chance to truly evaluate."
Morneau finishes another injury-plagued season with a .227/.285/.333 batting line and four home runs.
Over the past three seasons, Morneau has missed a total of 201 games, including 21 in 2009 with a stress fracture in his back, 78 in 2010 with a concussion, and 55 this season due to wrist soreness and neck surgery.
