Hicks begins rehab assignment at Triple-A

MIAMI -- The Twins have no set timetable for the return of Aaron Hicks, who began his rehab assignment on Tuesday night with Triple-A Rochester.

Hicks, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 10 with a hamstring strain, finished 3-for-4 with a double and two singles for the Red Wings.

"He needs to show that he's healthy and be able to run balls down and do what he needs to do without any side effects or ill effects," assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "He could be there 20 days."

When Hicks exited the latter half of a June 9 doubleheader against the Nationals with the injury, he was batting .179 with six home runs and 19 RBIs in 190 at-bats.

"When the general manager says he's ready to come back up here, that's when we'll have him back up here," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We're just going to let him do his thing and play and get some swings."

In addition to collecting three hits, Hicks experienced no discomfort in his hamstring during the first game of his rehab assignment.

While Hicks served as Rochester's designated hitter on Tuesday night, Gardenhire expects him to begin playing the outfield soon.

He's ready to go," Gardenhire said. "He's running. He's doing everything just fine. They'll get him back out there."