Willingham lands on DL with sore left wrist
Outfielder slated for MRI; right-hander Tonkin recalled from Rochester
MINNEAPOLIS -- As planned, the Twins placed outfielder Josh Willingham on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a sore left wrist sustained on a hit-by-pitch last Sunday. The move is retroactive to April 7.
To replace Willingham on the roster, right-hander Michael Tonkin was recalled from Triple-A Rochester. Tonkin fired one scoreless inning with a strikeout in the Twins' 7-1 victory over the Royals at Target Field.
The expectation is that Willingham only needs the minimum amount of time on the DL. However, an MRI will be taken on the wrist just to be sure.
"We're hoping so," assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "We were playing it day by day hoping to not have to put him on the DL. We'll have an MRI to make sure we're not missing anything. If that's clean, we'll rest him for a few days and see how it feels."
Willingham was batting .294 (5-for-17) with an RBI through six games.
Tonkin made one appearance for the Twins earlier this season, tossing a scoreless inning on April 2 against the White Sox. He didn't allow a run in 4 2/3 innings for the Red Wings this season while striking out five.