A Schelling For Your Thoughts

Young anticipating Friday return

MINNEAPOLIS — Left fielder Delmon Young is expected to rejoin the Twins on Friday after going on the 15-day disabled list on April 27 with a strained left oblique.

Young batted five times Tuesday in an extended Spring Training game, collecting three hits and showing that he is healthy enough to play left field in another rehab game Wednesday.

“He got three infield hits, and scored from first,” Twins trainer Rick McWane said. “It doesn’t bother him to run, it doesn’t bother him to swing.”

Young is just one of three Twins players currently rehabbing in Fort Myers, Fla. Joining him are second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka and designated hitter Jim Thome, both of whom also are making progress with their rehab work.

Nishioka is doing “very light work,” according to manager Ron Gardenhire, without much lateral movement.

“Right now, very light activities on the field, under control,” Gardenhire said. “It’s not like hitting ground balls, fungos all over. Rolling the ball to him, very light.”

The soreness that Nishioka had been experiencing in his left leg was reported to be much better Tuesday.

Thome, who has been out since May 1 with a strained left oblique, took batting practice Tuesday. The Twins hope he’ll be able to begin rehab games soon as well.

“He’s going to take BP again tomorrow,” McWane said. “No problems with his oblique, hopefully he’ll start playing in games on Thursday.”

Twins players, coaches hold meeting

MINNEAPOLIS — With all the injuries to key players early this season, the Twins’ roster is filled with players that have been called up from Triple-A Rochester.

While the difference in talent level is an obvious result, chemistry and experience bring other issues as well. A number of Twins players and coaches met Tuesday afternoon to address some of those issues.

“Talking baserunning, talking quality of at-bats, situations, you handling the situation rather than it handling you, all those things,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Last night, we had a lot of opportunities to get a hit, and we were chasing. We were chasing a lot of pitches, and it looked like the situation kind of controlled us.

“We just have to be better. We have to control the situations a little better, and I’m not saying it’s easy, but you know what, we have to keep working at it. That’s all we can do.”