FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins have been remarkably healthy so far this spring, but catching prospect Stuart Turner is being held out for precautionary reasons because of a stiff lower back.
Turner, ranked as the club's No. 23 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, has been able to catch bullpens, but he feels the tightness when he swings the bat. He's progressed to taking swings off a tee, but isn't quite ready to make his Grapefruit League debut.
"It's just tightness right now, so we're just taking a little break," Turner said. "As far as we know, it's just normal stiffness. I've been catching bullpens and stuff, so it's just been taking it easy with swings."
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Twins general manager Terry Ryan also said it's not a serious injury and is pleased with the health of his players this spring.
"It's minor, it's just a bit of a stiff lower back," Ryan said. "I don't think it's anything serious. It only affects him when he swings. So we've been very fortunate here. This is the worst thing that's happened to this point [injury-wise], so we're in pretty good shape."
Turner, 24, hit .223/.322/.306 with four homers and 37 RBIs with Double-A Chattanooga last year. He also played in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .194/.341/.254 in 20 games. But he's more valued for his defense behind the plate and could start the year at Triple-A Rochester.