Minnesota Twins: Max Kepler dealing with shoulder inflammation

The Minnesota Twins outfielder has battled a shoulder issue for months and adds to a long line of injury concerns in the Twins outfield.

UPDATE 3:23 p.m. CT:  According to KSTP-TV’s Darren Wolfson, Kepler’s MRI on his shoulder came back clean and is a shoulder inflammation issue. The Twins currently have him listed as day-to-day.

The Minnesota Twins are reeling in the past week and as they look to hold on to a 4 1/2 game lead over the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central, it appears they have more bad news on the injury front.

One day after leaving Sunday’s game against the Indians with a shoulder issue, Max Kepler is going in for an MRI on Monday afternoon. After the game, Kepler told reporters including MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park that the issue that forced him from the game has been something that has been nagging him for months.

As the Twins’ right fielder has collected just four hits in his past 32 at-bats, Kepler said that the pain has become “concerning” in recent weeks, which could have attributed to his most recent slump.

The latest injury for the Twins can’t come at a worse time as they look to wrap up their first division title since 2010. In the wake of the Indians taking two of three games at Target Field last weekend, the Twins have already lost Byron Buxton in the lineup since the beginning of August with his own shoulder issue and Jake Cave, Nelson Cruz, Miguel Sano and Sam Dyson have all missed time recently due to injuries.

Again, with the big lead the Twins currently have in the division and the expanded rosters, the Twins may be able to avoid putting Kepler on the injured list, meaning he would be available for next weekends showdown with the Indians in Cleveland. If the MRI shows something more severe, it would be another big blow for a Twins team looking to hang on and make a postseason run for the first time since 2002.