Joe Mauer placed on DL with leg weakness, will see specialist Friday
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The Minnesota Twins blew two saves in Thursday's 4-3 loss at Tampa Bay, and that was the least of their problems.
After the game, the team announced Joe Mauer has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with "bilateral leg weakness," and manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters the All-Star catcher will travel to Baltimore on Friday to meet with a specialist.
Catcher Steve Holm has been recalled from Class-AAA Rochester to take Mauer's place.
Mauer -- who had offseason knee surgery and missed a large chunk of spring training -- was off to a slow start offensively, hitting just .235/.289/.265 with one extra-base hit in 38 plate appearances. The Twins were mildly concerned about whether Mauer had enough time to get his legs underneath him with a shortened spring.
As a result of the leg weakness, Mauer has experienced soreness in his hips, shoulder and elbow, due to overcompensation, Gardenhire told reporters. He originally was scheduled to see the specialist on Tuesday, during the Twins' series against the Orioles, but the appointment was moved up after Mauer was scratched from Thursday's lineup.
It's worth noting that Mauer has history with the specialist in Baltimore that dates back to March 2009 -- the year he missed all of April with back issues before eventually winning the American League MVP Award.
Mauer was diagnosed that spring with inflammation in the sacroiliac joint, the area between his spine and pelvis.
