The Minnesota Twins have had trouble all over the roster this season, but the pitching staff has undergone numerous iterations due to injuries and general ineffectiveness. A regular could be returning, however, as closer Matt Capps is set for an MRI on Monday to see how his injured shoulder is recovering.
Capps has pitched a total of three innings since being diagnosed with shoulder inflammation on June 16 and, since he hasn't thrown a baseball since mid-July, the Twins don't think the MRI will help them discover anything new. Instead, according to general manager Terry Ryan, it's more to give Capps peace of mind.
"We're just doing it to make sure, so we can clear him to start throwing," he said. "We give MRIs many times to guys that don't necessarily (need one). ... A lot of times it's to give the player peace of mind. We did not schedule this because of an issue. It's about peace of mind."
Capps said that, barring any issues, he expects to return to the lineup in early September.
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