Justin Morneau told by team doctors to stay home until Friday

MINNEAPOLIS -- The news on Justin Morneau has remained nearly status quo for almost two months, since he first suffered a concussion on July 7 in Toronto.

On Tuesday, manager Ron Gardenhire provided a brief update. And it wasn't particularly promising news.

"The doctors told him to stay home," Gardenhire said. "He's not going to come in until Friday. They told him to stay away. He does his cardio work, the whole package. He's been doing his workouts, and he's following the doctors orders."

When pressed for more details, Gardenhire said, "He's following the doctors orders, that's all I'm officially supposed to tell you."

The Twins continue to insist there have been no setbacks -- that Morneau's situation is fluid and special. Gardenhire said the first baseman is just "doing exactly what (doctors) want him to do."

Morneau last spoke to reporters on August 13, saying he had yet to get through a day without experiencing concussion symptoms.

Over the past few weeks, Morneau had been taking batting practice and going through light workouts at Target Field.

Needless to say, it remains unclear whether Morneau will return before the end of the regular season.

Phil Mackey is a columnist for 1500ESPN.com. He co-hosts "Reusse & Mackey" weekdays from 4 to 6pm on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
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