Twins set to place Willingham on disabled list

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins announced they will place left fielder Josh Willingham on the 15-day disabled list prior to Saturday's game. A round of batting practice on Friday yielded familiar soreness in the left wrist that was hit by a pitch last Sunday.

"I talked to him the last couple days," assistant general manager Rob Antony said, "and he's just not feeling any better."

The club will call up right-hander Michael Tonkin from Triple-A Rochester. He's expected to arrive in time for Saturday afternoon's middle game against the Royals.

Willingham's DL move is retroactive to April 7, and the expectation is that he'll only need the minimum amount of time on the DL. But just to be safe, Antony said the team will have the outfielder undergo an MRI on the wrist.

"We were initially encouraged because there wasn't a lot of swelling," Antony said. "But you've got to be comfortable when dealing with your hands. We don't want this to be something to linger all season.

"We've played short as long as we can. They can look into a little further to make sure they're not missing something like a small fracture."

Tonkin made one appearance for Minnesota earlier in the season, tossing a scoreless inning against the White Sox on April 2. He hasn't allowed a run in 4 2/3 innings for the Red Wings this season while striking out five.

"Our starters haven't been getting deep into games," Antony said, "so we can probably use an extra pitcher in the bullpen more than another position player right now."