MRI Negative On Left Wrist Of Nelson Cruz

TODAY: The MRI came back negative, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press was among those to report on Twitter. Cruz is hoping to avoid an IL trip altogether.

YESTERDAY: Twins slugger Nelson Cruz left Sunday’s game due to soreness in his left wrist, and he will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the nature of the problem.  (MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park was among those to report the news.)

Cruz’s injury didn’t seem to stem from any specific incident, as the veteran indicated to reporters after the game that he had been dealing with nagging wrist soreness, and the issue became worse after taking a swinging strike.  As Park notes, Cruz’s wrist seemed to be visibly bothering him after swinging at a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Cruz took one further plate appearance in the game but was removed for a pinch-hitter in the seventh.

Even as he approaches his 39th birthday on July 1, Cruz is still producing at a high level, with a .270/.354/.508 slash line and seven homers over his first 144 plate appearances as a Twin.  Cruz’s still-potent bat has been a big reason behind Minnesota’s surprising surge to the best record in baseball, and obviously any type of IL stint for the veteran designated hitter would be a blow to the Twins’ lineup.

If Cruz’s status wasn’t enough of a concern for the Twins, Martin Perez was also an early scratch from Sunday’s game, as the starter was removed after being hit in the left ankle by a Nicholas Castellanos line drive in the sixth inning.  This injury (diagnosed as a left foot contusion) doesn’t appear to be as serious, however, as Perez told Park and other reporters that he doesn’t think he’ll miss his next start.