CLEVELAND -- Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer missed his fourth straight game with lower back spasms and manager Ron Gardenhire said the six-time All-Star could go on the disabled list.
Mauer played catch and hit off a batting tee Wednesday, but it's unclear when he'll be able to play.
The Twins have been playing short-handed throughout their four-game series with the Indians and their lack of depth became a bigger problem when outfielder Sam Fuld was placed on the 7-day disabled list with concussion-like symptoms before the game.
The injuries left infielder Pedro Florimon as Minnesota's only player on the bench when Thursday's game began. Infielder Eduardo Nunez was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take Fuld's roster spot. Nunez was driving from Columbus, Ohio, where Rochester was playing and was expected to arrive in Cleveland during the game.
Eduardo Escobar, normally a shortstop, had to play left field Wednesday. He misjudged a fly ball in the ninth inning that led to Cleveland scoring the winning run in a 4-3 loss. Escobar started in center Thursday and had another ball hit over his head that resulted in David Murphy's RBI double in the first inning.