Cleveland, OH – Justin Morneau will be back on the field for the first time in over two months for the Minnesota Twins.
The team has recalled the first baseman from a rehab assignment at Triple-A Rochester and activated him off the 15-day disabled list prior to the start of a three-game series in Cleveland.
Morneau has not played for the Twins since June 9. He was first sidelined with a left wrist injury, then had surgery on June 29 to remove a herniated disc fragment in his neck that helped to relieve pressure on a pinched nerve.
He played in seven games during his rehab assignment and batted .367 with one home run, four doubles and eight runs batted in.
The 30-year-old native of suburban Vancouver was batting .225 with four homers, 12 doubles and 21 RBI in 55 games prior to the injuries.
Minnesota also activated infielder Alexi Casilla from the 15-day disabled list on Friday as he had been on the DL since July 28 with a right hamstring strain.
The 27-year-old was hitting .259 with two home runs, 21 RBI and 15 stolen bases over 96 games this season.
To make room on the roster, the team optioned infielder Trevor Plouffe to Rochester and placed outfielder Jason Repko on the 15-day disabled list.
Plouffe has batted just .202 with five home runs and 16 RBI over 38 games this season.
Repko, who is out with left shoulder bursitis, has played in 56 games in 2011 and is batting .245 with nine RBI. His move is retroactive to August 11.
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