Joe Mauer on Disabled List After Injury; Skips All-Star Game

The Twins' first baseman Joe Mauer was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique in what MLB.com said is a heavy blow on the team. He sustained the injury in a Tuesday game against The Royals—on a swing in the fourth inning.

Mauer's doubling to left field on the swing aggravated his oblique, sore for at least a week before, the report noted. He left Minnesota's 10-2 victory over Kansas City with a strained muscle in his right side, ESPN added.

He was noticeably limping, running into second base at the fourth inning, the ESPN report said. Manager Ron Gardenhire and a team trainer came out, but the 2009 American League MVP was stranded in the game. Afterwards, left fielder Chris Parmelee moved to first base for the fifth inning. 

The Twins have been hit as hard as any team in baseball, the Bleacher Report said. After being taken out of the game, Mauer said the injury "felt like somebody hit me pretty hard right there."

"Leaving the park last night, I was pretty sore, so it's frustrating," the 31-year-old said, as quoted by MLB.  On Wednesday, the athlete still felt sore—in his career's first oblique injury—thus the decision to place him on the DL for the first time this season. 

Mauer had been swinging well recently, said the MLB.com report, hitting a streak of 12 games. Gardenhire agreed, saying: "He was putting in a lot of hard work and driving in some runs for us."

The Twins responded to the incident by recalling first baseman Chris Colabello from Triple-A Rochester. Colabello will split time at first base with Parmelee and Kendrys Morales, hitting well recently at Rochester. 

"It's been about a month now, I've been swinging the bat well... There were a bunch of games in there where I didn't get many hits, but I was barreling a bunch of balls," he said.

The DL listing knocks Mauer out of the All-Star Game at Target Field on July 15. He expects to still represent the Twins and Major League Baseball as the official ambassador for the Midsummer Classic, MLB.com said, but he would miss the game in his hometown.

The elimination disappointed Mauer. "Any time you have a chance to go to an All-Star Game is an exciting time, especially in your hometown," he said.

According to the Bleacher Report, injuries are a big part of Mauer's career, one of the main reasons Minnesota moved him to first base full time this season. He's also only played in more than 113 games once since 2011, but his bat hasn't been as potent this season.

The Twins need Mauer to be the offensive weapon, the report added. But with an oblique injury being tricky to forecast especially for swingers like him, he might need more than the 15 days alloted by the DL listing to get his swing back.