YLT

I fully agree. Relearning timing and coordination for one of the hardest activities to do in all of sports (hit a baseball) after a concussion cannot be easy at all. Safety-wise it's probably a wash (hitting/baserunning vs. fielding) but his ability to track a baseball while at the plate will likely suffer the most. It's just a matter of how much and if he and the Twins will be OK with that decline. I wish him the best this season.

If he can't play one of the easiest fielding positions in the game, how do we expect him to hit 90+ mph stuff with relearned reaction times and visual perception? I'm with Morneau regarding the idea of permanent DH if it comes to that. No go. I really hope the guy comes back in full force and us realists/pessimists/pragmatists/etc all eat a whole lot of crow by mid-June. Love the guy, love his swing, love his attitude toward the game.

Yes, we've heard "earning their spot" many-a-spring training when in truth we know that rarely to be the case. I'd guess the Twins will carry Mauer, Doumit and Butera.