The Twins have placed backup infielder Nick Punto on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Punto has played in 20 games for the Twins this season and he is 13 for 49 (.265 avg, .668 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 7 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Punto’s playing time will likely be picked up by rookie Matt Tolbert who has pretty much already passed Punto on the depth chart any way. Tolbert has played in 27 games this season for the Twins and he is 20 for 73 (.274 avg, .668 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 3 RBIs and 3 stolen base. The Twins have recalled infielder Alexi Casilla from the minors to replace Punto on the roster. Casilla has played in 32 games in AAA this season and he is 21 for 96 (.219 avg, .600 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 2 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.

The Twins have placed righty setup man Pat Neshek on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He will miss at least 3 months and most likely the remainder of the season with this injury. Neshek has pitched in 15 games out of the bullpen this season for the Twins and he is 0-1 with a 4.73 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. The Twins will miss Neshek who has filthy stuff. The Twins have recalled 25-year old lefty Glen Perkins to replace Neshek on the roster. He pitched in 7 games (6 starts) in AAA this season and he was 2-1 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Perkins has pitched in 23 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 0-0 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He will serve as a starter initially for the Twins but he will likely be moved to the bullpen when the Twins’ starters all get healthy.

20-year old righty swinging outfielder Joe Benson is off to a slow start this season. Benson is the #2 prospect in the Twins’ minor league system according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook. He has played in 31 games in A-ball this season and he is 26 for 114 (.228 avg, .661 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Benson has also whiffed 37 times in only 114 at bats. The Twins will likely take it slow with Benson because they have a lot of outfielders ahead of him in the system right now.

Delmon Young was in essence brought in to replace Torii Hunter’s offense but it hasn’t worked out too well yet. Young has played in 31 games for the Twins so far this season and he is 30 for 117 (.256 avg, .577 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 9 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. The Twins likely won’t pull Young from the lineup unless he’s still playing poorly at the All Star Break. It seems that he hasn’t adjusted to pitchers well this season as they know that he likes to swing at everything.

The Twins have placed starting pitcher Scott Baker on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right groin. Baker has started 6 games for the Twins this season and he is 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Baker has whiffed 29 batters while only walking 5 in 33 innings and he will remain effective if he keeps throwing strikes when he returns from the D.L. The Twins have recalled Kevin Slowey from his rehab assignment to take Baker’s spot in the rotation. Slowey started 3 games in A+AAA ball on his rehab assignment and he is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA and a 0.62 WHIP. He whiffed 19 batters and only allowed 4 hits in 13 innings in the minors. He has started 1 game for the Twins this season and he is 0-1 with a 8.10 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Slowey should do a good job for the Twins.