26-year old switch-hitting Tsuyoshi Nishioka started this year as the Twins’ starting 2B. He suffered a broken leg on a takeout slide early in the year. The Twins decided to move him back to SS when he returned from his rebab assignment. The one thing that has been consistent about Nishioka’s play this year is the fact that he just can’t seem to hit the ball. Nishioka has played in 22 games for the Twins so far this year and he is 14 for 74 (.189 avg, .489 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 0 homers, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base in 4 attempts. Nishioka has also whiffed 18 times this year as he looks overmatched quite a bit by major league pitchers so far. The Twins were expecting Nishioka to be an offensive force for them this year. In Nishioka’s four years in Japan, he played in 510 games in which he was 614 of 2,017 (.304 avg, .823 OPS) with 345 runs scored, 41 homers, 189 RBIs and 93 stolen bases. The Twins really need Nishioka to pick things up with the bat soon.

28-year old lefty swinging catcher Joe Mauer and 26-year old switch-hitting shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka are back healthy for the Twins and ready for action. Mauer has played in 9 games for the Twins this year and he is 8 for 34 (.235 avg, .554 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 0 homers and 4 RBIs. Mauer played in 7 games in A-ball on his rehab assignment and he was 6 for 23 (.261 avg, .849 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. He only whiffed 1 time on his rehab assignment. Catcher has been a black hole offensively for the Twins this year so they have to be giddy about getting Mauer back in the lineup.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka is moving over to SS with Alexi Casilla moving to 2B. Nishioka has played in 7 games for the Twins so far this year and he is 6 for 28 (.214 avg, .517 OPS) with 1 run scored, 0 homers, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He played in 7 games in A+AAA-ball on his rehab assignment and he was 8 for 24 (.333 avg, .865 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 0 homers, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

The Twins hope that Mauer and Nishioka add some spice to the batting order as the Twins have had a hard time scoring runs this year.

The Twins have placed 30-year old lefty swinging 1B Justin Morneau on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 10th with a sore left wrist. Morneau has played in 55 games for the Twins so far this year and he is 48 for 213 (.225 avg, .619 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 4 homers and 21 RBIs. Morneau just hasn’t been the same since his concussion last year as he is not hitting the ball at all. Maybe a break to get healthy again will spur him to play better when he returns to action. Michael Cuddyer is a solid player and he will replace Morneau at 1B until he’s ready to return to action.

UPDATE: (6/25/2011) - Justin Morneau will undergo surgery on his neck next week. He will miss at least six more weeks.

32-year old righty swinging RF Michael Cuddyer is off to a very, very slow start for the Twins so far this year. Cuddyer has now played in 37 games for the Twins so far this year and he is 35 for 139 (.252 avg, .683 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 4 homers, 7 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Cuddyer has averaged 93.8 runs scored, 21.5 homers and 91.3 RBIs during his last four full seasons, so the Twins have to be very upset with his production so far this year. The Twins are in a team wide slump (besides Denard Span and Jason Kubel), but that’s no excuse for Cuddyer. The Twins need him to step up soon before the season is a lost cause.

Last season, starting 1B Justin Morneau was flying high until a concussion ended his season. It was a nasty concussion as it cost him to miss half of last year. Morneau played in 81 games for the Twins last year and he was 102 of 296 (.345 avg, 1.055 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 18 homers and 56 RBIs. It seems as if Morneau hasn’t been able to shake the cobwebs in his head yet as he is swinging a very weak stick so far this year. Morneau has played in 28 games for the Twins so far this year and he is 22 for 104 (.212 avg, .572 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 9 RBIs. The Twins need Morneau to step up with the bat soon, as they are digging a big hole right now in the standings.