Mauer held out of lineup with sore quads

MINNEAPOLIS — Twins first baseman Joe Mauer was held out of the lineup for a second straight game with sore quads, and manager Paul Molitor said the injury is a bit more serious than originally thought.

Mauer was also out of the starting lineup on Sunday (he pinch-hit in the ninth) before playing on Tuesday after the Twins’ off-day on Monday.

“It’s lingering a little bit,” Molitor said. “I think it was actually a little bit more problematic than he was leading on in terms of trying to find a way to play through it.”

Mauer has been dealing with the injury for past few weeks, but he worsened it on Aug. 16, when he scored from first on a double against the Braves. He went 3-for-4 with a homer that game, but is 1-for-16 since then.

“I think that aggravated it,” Molitor said. “Whatever low-level condition he had wasn’t concerning, although we had been resting him more. But I think that play pushed it to a different level.”

Molitor said he’s hopeful that Mauer will return to the lineup on Friday in Toronto, but he wants to make sure he’s healthy before he’s back on the field.

“Tentatively, I’m still thinking about tomorrow,” Molitor said. “I think hitting is a part of it, but it’s running and first-step quickness defensively.”

With Mauer …

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