September 22, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak (51) walks off the field after being relieved against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s the quote from Terry Ryan:

“When he was up here for TwinsFest, he was messing around with a couple guys and cracked a couple ribs, so he’ll be out a month,” Ryan said. “He was wrestling around. It was some horseplay. He was out with a couple friends and the team and cracked a couple ribs fooling around. It wasn’t a fight or anything. It was just bad judgment wrestling around.”

With pitchers and catchers set to report in less than a week, what does this mean for Swarzak and the Twins? Swarzak’s spot on the club may already have been in jeopardy due to the presence of Rule 5 draftee Ryan Pressly and a lack of consistency I discussed briefly in my article on Kevin Correia.

Although Swarzak should be able to return to the mound before the team heads north, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Twins put Swarzak on the DL in order to give Pressly a long look in the Majors before figuring out what they want to do with the converted reliever.

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Morneau missed the second half of 2010 with a concussion, and though he returned to the Opening Day lineup this year, he has not played anywhere near his peak abilities. The 2006 AL MVP was leading the league in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage prior to his injury last year, but has a line of just .225/.281/.338 with four home runs in 55 games this season. The wrist and neck injuries were clearly affecting Morneau’s performance well in advance of the DL stint.ant

For the Twins, this injury means we will probably see a lot more of Luke Hughes, who has been filling in at first base the last few weeks. It also means that the return of Jim Thome becomes much more important. Morneau’s 2010 injury resulted in a lot more playing time for Thome, who hit 25 home runs to fill in the power void from the left side of the plate. If the Twins get back into postseason contention, they may need to get more creative by pursuing a first baseman via trade, or make the move Twins fans have been expecting for years: Joe Mauer at first base. (more…)