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Nick Burdi out at least two weeks

Tightness in Nick Burdi's right forearm will have him on the shelf when the season starts.

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

Update, 9:20am

It looks like the Twins are doing a bit of damage control on this one, with multiple tweets having been sent from local writers stating that perhaps this issue isn't as serious as it could have been. Initial reports had Burdi out indefinitely, but clearly there's a new timeline here and the club is just being prudent and careful.

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In a piece of news that has to be mitigated by the mention that this is not an April Fool's Day joke, Nick Burdi has been shut down due to soreness in his right forearm. The injury will keep the stud relief prospect out for at least two weeks, backing up an initial report that stated he would be out indefinitely, delaying his development and eventual Major League debut.

Forearm injuries can foreshadow elbow ligament issues and, as a result, Tommy John surgery. But it was last week that Burdi was held out of games and it sounds like the rest he's had since that time has helped the arm to feel better. The Twins are hoping that working him back up slowly will allow them to monitor the arm carefully and ultimately, if no issues present themselves, ease him back into action.

Right now it sounds like Minnesota has put a timeline of two weeks on this process. It's a situation to watch closely however, as we've seen enough of these types of injuries -  and the "rest and it'll all be fine, fingers crossed" hopes - turn into Tommy John surgery in the past.

If Burdi does require Tommy John or any kind of significant time off, there is still significant reliever depth to call upon. J.T. Chargois, Taylor Rogers, and Alex Meyer are three of the top remaining options, but Jake Reed and Mason Melotakis will be worth watching as well.