Mauer Eyeing May 1st Return

Joe Mauer is finally getting some "real" at-bats. By real I mean simulated games, but the important thing is that he's up and working out at the Twins extended spring training facility and recovering from lower back pain.

He's going to start live-game action today and hopes to join the Twins in the next week to two weeks.

Starting today, Mauer will play three games with the Twins' extended spring training players -- players preparing for the short-season leagues to begin in June. He can lead off every inning if he wants in those games to ensure he gets as many at-bats as he needs.

On Friday, he is expected to join Class A Fort Myers for six games as part of a minor league rehabilitation stint.

The Twins want Mauer to get about 50 at-bats and 10 games under his belt by April 30. If all goes well, he could be activated in time for a May 1 home game against the Royals.

For fantasy owners who have Mauer stashed, this is great news. But, should you temper your expectations?

Not really. Sure, he'll have fewer at-bats, but he should still get to the plate around 450 times. If he does, he'll be in the top ten for catcher in at-bats. And that's great news for a hitter who you need to help bring up your team batting average.

You may ask about his home run potential. he only had nine last year and missing a whole month should hurt that potential. Right? Not exactly. Mauer didn't hit a home run until June of last season. He's more than capable of matching his 2008 home run output in 2009.

Where you'll take a hit is in his run total and RBI numbers. You'll probably lose close to 10% of his runs batted in and 6% of his runs scored. Taking that into account, this is what Mauer's 2009 stat line could look like if he's healthy and remains so for the duration of the season.

My prediction for 2009: 442 at-bats | .317 | 91 runs | 8 HR | 77 RBI | 0 SB