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An MRI test showed no structural damage, but manager Ron Gardenhire said Hudson needs another week to get rid of the soreness.

The Twins put second baseman Orlando Hudson on the 15-day disabled list to make room for right fielder Michael Cuddyer before Tuesday's game, with the possibility that shortstop J.J. Hardy will join him.

The move with Hudson was made retroactively to May 31, and the Twins hope he'll be ready to play when he's eligible to be reinstated on June 15. Hudson's left wrist has been slow to heal since a scary collision with teammate Denard Span. An MRI test showed no structural damage, but manager Ron Gardenhire said Hudson needs another week to get rid of the soreness.

Hudson visited Dr. Don Sheridan, the hand specialist who performed his previous wrist surgeries in Arizona, and was told another operation is not needed. Still, the Twins must go at least six more games without their sparkplug No. 2 hitter and slick-fielding double-play pivot man. The other part of that turn-two combination, Hardy, has not been in the starting lineup since last Friday due to inflammation in the bruised left wrist that kept him on the disabled list for most of May. Hardy had a cortisone shot in his left wrist and will be re-evaluated Thursday.

If he's not better, he'll go on the DL.

New medication has helped Hardy's wrist improve, but swinging the bat still causes pain. He was told by local hand specialist Dr. Thomas Varecka that one of the bones in his wrist is rubbing against the one that's bruised when he swings.

"Some days he can go out there and feel OK, and some days he couldn't," Gardenhire said. "It was to the point where he was trying to work on his swing, and every time he did that his hand got sore. It was to the point where if he didn't take any swings he felt fine during games. It's hard to play baseball like that."

Hardy's power-hitting ability and sound defense was supposed to give the Twins another anchor in the infield, where players have been shuffled frequently over the past five years while the team has tried to find a second baseman, shortstop and third baseman that fits the defense-first approach with an acceptable level of offense. When they're healthy Hudson and Hardy are exactly that, but for now the Twins are trying to get by with replacements. Matt Tolbert was in Tuesday's lineup at second base, with Nick Punto at shortstop. If Hardy is put on the DL, rookie Trevor Plouffe would probably be called back from the minors.

It's been frustrating, for sure.

"I'm hoping the five days and the cortisone shot will do it," Hardy said. "If not, they mentioned wrapping it up for five to seven days and not moving it at all."

Without Hudson for the whole trip and without Cuddyer for much of it, the Twins didn't produce much offense over seven games last week on the West Coast. They went 3-4 against Seattle and Oakland.

Cuddyer returned Tuesday after taking bereavement leave for the last four games to be with his family after the death of his father-in-law. First baseman Justin Morneau was also back in the starting lineup after behind held out Saturday and Sunday with a stomach virus.

Source: The Associated Press