Morneau gives Twins hope for a postseason return

“He’s going to work with us on the field and take some ground balls and hit some BP, and there’s no sense in going any farther than that,” Gardenhire said. “People want to know (when he’ll be back). We want to know, too. But let’s let him work out.

“Does it make a difference if he’s with us? That’s an obvious. Goodness gracious, if you had a Justin Morneau in your lineup, that’d be wonderful. But he hasn’t played in 2 1/2 months, and all of a sudden, he’s going to make the playoff roster and play? You’re jumping the gun.”

Morneau has hit on the field since his concussion but has not taken anything more than early batting practice with the team, and he hasn’t done even that for some time. Last week he and his wife, Krista, welcomed their first baby, daughter Evelyn, and her birth was followed by a string of positive results during Morneau’s workouts at Target Field.

Even before that, though, Morneau seemed to be feeling better.

After appearing pale and somewhat hazy during a Twins homestand in early September, Morneau appeared healthier during the team’s most recent six-game stretch at Target Field. He felt well enough to stay for the celebration when the Twins clinched the AL Central title.

Only a Canadian could clear his head by a late night alcohol soaked celebration and sleepless nights with a newborn baby.