ARLINGTON -- Twins left fielder Eddie Rosario, who suffered a right quad strain while running to first on Thursday, is likely to miss the rest of the road trip here and in Houston, manager Paul Molitor said Friday.

Rosario, who could return when the Twins begin their next homestand on Sept. 7, injured himself while beating out an infield single in the fourth inning on Thursday, eventually leaving in the fifth. He underwent more testing on Friday, but he was still feeling pain his quad area.

"He came in sore today," Molitor said. "Certainly tightness in the upper right quad. It's 24 hours, but it is still probably a little early to try to predict how long he will be out. It's probably a little bit more reasonable that we won't see him play on this trip, but we will stay open-minded about that, given that we are headed into September."

Molitor said they'll be cautious with Rosario, as they don't want him to suffer any setbacks that could jeopardize the rest of the season. It's similar to their plan with shortstop Jorge Polanco, who missed the Cleveland series with tightness in his left hamstring but returned to the lineup on Friday.

"We'll see if there's progression," Molitor said. "It's not something I'm looking to push, just like Polanco's case. We'll have to see how he improves here over the next couple of days."

Rosario, 26, has been the club's best all-around player this year, hitting .292/.329/.484 with 22 homers, 31 doubles and 74 RBIs in 130 games. Robbie Grossman started in left field in his absence on Friday.

Worth noting

• Sunday's starter remains to be announced, as Kyle Gibson will be pushed back to start on Monday against the Astros. The Twins could decide to implement "the opener" strategy on Sunday, with right-handed reliever Trevor May and left-hander Gabriel Moya as candidates to start.

• Minor League pitcher Alex Banks, with the rookie-level Dominican Summer League Twins, was suspended 72 games without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol. Banks, 17, posted an 8.59 ERA in 14 2/3 innings this year.