Injured Mauer set to take batting practice in cages

KANSAS CITY -- First baseman Joe Mauer has been making progress with his strained right oblique, and will take batting practice in the cages at Target Field on Wednesday.

Mauer, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since July 2, was originally scheduled to hit on the field on Wednesday, but the Twins have already started to set up the field for Paul McCartney's concert at Target Field on Saturday.

But it's still a positive sign that Mauer is facing live hitting, as his injury is almost completely healed and will start a rehab assignment soon.

"It's all progressing," Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "Now it's taking the next steps and making sure everything feels OK. But he passed all the other things and he feels fine. He's ready to hit live."

Antony said there's no official timetable for Mauer to start a rehab assignment, but indications are it could happen as soon as this weekend or early next week.

"I think we'll play it just step by step," Antony said. "He'll hit live BP probably more than once. Once everyone is comfortable he's ready for game action we'll make plans for that. This is just the next step."