FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar received a scare when he was hit by a line drive while in foul territory at third base during Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Cardinals. Fortunately, he sustained only a bruised right forearm.
After hitting a one-out triple in the eighth inning, Escobar was leading off at third base in foul territory when he was hit by a hard line drive from Minor League first baseman Reynaldo Rodriguez. Escobar remained on the ground for more than a minute. After he got up, he was smiling and told the training staff he was OK, but he was taken out of the game for precautionary reasons.
"Escobar is fine," said bench coach Joe Vavra, who served as manager with Paul Molitor at Minnesota's split-squad game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. "It's a bruise on his right forearm. But he's fine. He took a pretty good shot, so we took him out for precautionary reasons. But he came up smiling like he usually does, so that was a good sign."
Nolasco tosses 3 scoreless innings against Cardinals
The Twins, however, will monitor Escobar, as he was hit in his throwing arm. Escobar went 2-for-4 before exiting the game and is hitting .182 in four Grapefruit League games.
"It is in his throwing arm, so that's always a concern with swelling," Vavra said. "So you have to make sure everything is good. But I was assured by [assistant trainer] Tony Leo, he's fine."
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Worth noting
• First baseman Joe Mauer wore sunglasses at the plate for the first time in a Grapefruit League game this year and went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Mauer, who is experimenting with wearing sunglasses while batting after experiencing vision problems the last two years stemming from his concussion in 2013, didn't wear them in his first two games because one was a night game and the other on a cloudy day.
• The Twins used a parade of lefty relievers against the Cardinals after right-handers Ricky Nolasco and Kevin Jepsen pitched, as lefties Buddy Boshers, Logan Darnell, Mike Strong, Ryan O'Rourke and Aaron Thompson all saw action. Darnell and Thompson both struggled, giving up two runs each, while the rest each tossed a scoreless inning.
Spring Training:Schedule | Tickets | Gear
• Twins Minor Leaguers officially reported on Tuesday with their first full workouts slated for Thursday. Their first intrasquad games begin on Sunday before playing other organizations starting on Wednesday.
• With Minor League camp starting to ramp up, the Twins are expected to have their first round of roster cuts on Sunday.
• The Twins have a visit from the Major League Baseball Players Association scheduled for Wednesday morning. Executive director Tony Clark will be in town to lead the meeting.