Twins third baseman Miguel Sano has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a stress reaction in his left tibia, an injury that sounds worse than it can be.
A stress reaction in a weakening of the bone and can be a precursor to a stress fracture. The area can be treated with a bone stimulator, among other things.
In one of the more well-known stress reaction cases in this area, Joe Mauer was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his fibula late in spring training in 2007. Mauer missed about a week and a half of camp but still was in the lineup on Opening Day.
Each body is different, and Sano's 280-something pound frame is different from Mauer's 6-foot-5 frame that can't add weight. But indications are that Sano will need all of the 10 days to heal.
"I really don't know how it is going to proceed," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I think given the situation, dealing with the information that was passed on from our staff, was that they are concerned enough to feel that they need to get him off of his feet for a little bit."
Sano said he fouled a ball off his shin during Friday's game against Arizona and it got worse from there. He said he's not sure how long it will take him to recover.
"I'm not really sure," he said. It's a matter of doing what I need to do to come back."
Sano is batting .267 with 28 home runs and 77 RBIs. Although the Twins won 12-5 without him on Sunday and face the lowly White Sox in eight of their next 11 games, the offense suffers if Sano is out of the lineup for any extended period of time.
Kennys Vargas is expected to replace Sano on the roster. He was removed from Class AAA Rochester's game on Sunday.
