Joe Mauer’s left quad injury that has sidelined him since May 5 is “tearing his heart apart,” according to grandpa Jake Mauer. Jake said Joe’s family members feel bad because the Twins catcher is “climbing the walls” he’s so frustrated.
Jake also said his grandson has been to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and also seen doctors in Cleveland but so far no one has been able to explain the injury or offer a guaranteed remedy. The quad has been sore and Jake said there’s been internal bleeding after Joe runs. Jake said his grandson suffered the same injury in high school and at that time also had bleeding in the leg.
Now assigned to the Twins’ Class A farm team in Fort Myers, Mauer has been told to not run but jog on balls hit to infielders, according to Jake. He will also catch for the Miracle and be with the team for an indefinite period.
The injury prompts talk again that Mauer, 24, should move to another position. Mauer, manager Ron Gardenhire and general manager Terry Ryan have consistently expressed no interest in such a change. Mauer, a former high school quarterback, likes being a leader and working with pitchers.
“We’re going to keep him behind the plate,” Ryan told Sports Headliners earlier this year. “That’s where he’s always played, that’s where he wants to stay and there’s no reason to move him. …”
Mauer was batting .353 through his last game on May 4. He had only five hits in his last 22 at-bats. He won the American League batting title last season with an average of .347.