DETROIT — There was conflicting news on the injury front for the Twins, who lost a player to the disabled list but not the one they originally had planned.
Starting pitcher Nick Blackburn will be sidelined for the next two weeks because of a left quadriceps strain, but an MRI on catcher Ryan Doumit revealed his calf injury to be less serious than initially feared. His status is day to day, and he could be available to play this weekend in Milwaukee.
The Twins announced shortly after their 11-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night, May 16, that they had placed Doumit on the disabled list. But the 11:34 p.m. EDT news release jumped the gun on the MRI results.
The team did not officially file the transaction with the commissioner’s office until Thursday morning. The dual injuries allowed them to swap Blackburn for Doumit and activate outfielder Ben Revere, who flew in from Class AAA Rochester in time to play in a 4-3 victory against Detroit.
“We changed gears,” general manager Terry Ryan said. “Ironically, this is a good thing.”
Doumit battled cramps during Wednesday’s game and strained his right calf in the seventh. He spent a sleepless night believing he was on the disabled list but hopes to be available off the bench during the interleague series against the Brewers.
“I thought it was a little weird for them to make that call without them talking to me first,” Doumit said. “I didn’t think it was something that would require 15 days.
I’ve spent enough time on the DL to know it’s not fun. The MRI showed there’s a little tweak, but it’s something that after a few days hopefully I’ll be good to go.”
Ryan said he was impressed with Doumit’s determination to avoid the DL. The versatile veteran leads the team with 24 runs batted in.
“That is a pleasant response. Usually, you’re battling guys maybe the other way,” Ryan said.
Minnesota-bound
Blackburn was scheduled to return to Minnesota to rehab with Twins trainers.
The team plans to keep 12 pitchers because it can skip Blackburn’s next turn in the rotation, which falls on Monday’s off day. A spot starter would not be required until May 26. Anthony Swarzak and Brian Duensing are in-house options while Liam Hendriks continues to impress at Rochester (1-0, 1.54 ERA) since being demoted May 6.
Blackburn’s struggles this season have been well documented (1-4, 8.37 ERA), but Ryan blamed the right-hander’s worsening leg problem for his six-run, two-inning outing against the Tigers.
“That isn’t him. Granted, things have not gone well for us this year, but he’s better than that,” Ryan said.
Revere returns
Revere played center field as Denard Span continued to nurse a hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the past three games. Span is expected to return to the lineup in Milwaukee, according to manager Ron Gardenhire.
In 23 games with the Red Wings, Revere batted .330 with one double and six RBIs.
He was living out of suitcases in a Rochester hotel after being shuffled back and forth this season, and he was preparing to move in with teammates Thursday when he received the late-night call-up. He arrived in Detroit about 7:30 a.m. and went straight to the ballpark.
“Cold shower, some Red Bull, and I’m ready to go,” Revere said.
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