Joe Mauer sent home with ongoing post-concussion symptoms
Twins catcher Joe Mauer is still feeling the effects of the concussion he suffered on Aug. 19.
By
Dayn Perry
•
1 min read
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Twins catcher Joe Mauer hasn't played since Aug. 19 when he suffered a concussion, which was the result of his taking a foul ball off the mask. Mauer had been making progress -- he was able to take batting practice on Friday -- but Wednesday's events would seem to constitute a setback for the perennial All-Star. Here's the relevant tweet from Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
Mauer was "irritable" about how he felt, GM Terry Ryan said. "This was a bad day, but we'll come back and try tomorrow," Ryan said.
— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) September 11, 2013
As Mike Berardino notes, Mauer was sent home and won't be taking any BP on Thursday.
Post-concussion syndrome can of course be very tough to shake, and it manifests itself in many ways beyond the usual menu of symptoms like headaches and dizziness. The Twins aren't contending, so there's no need to rush Mauer back, which they clearly aren't doing. If Mauer responds well to light activity on Thursday, then maybe this will be nothing. If he doesn't, however, then it's fair to wonder whether he'll play again this season.
Regardless of how this plays out, Mauer's been highly productive when healthy in 2013: .324/.404/.476 (141 OPS+) with 35 doubles in 113 games.
Long-term, one wonders how much longer Mauer, age 30, will be able to remain a regular at the catcher position.
