MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins left fielder Josh Willingham, on the 15-day disabled list with a hand injury, took batting practice before Thursday's game. All went well for the 35-year-old Willingham, so he'll head to Triple-A Rochester to begin a rehab assignment, according to assistant general manager Rob Antony.
Willingham has only appeared in six games with the Twins this season and hasn't played since getting hit in the hand by a pitch on April 6 against Cleveland. He sustained a small fracture in the pisiform bone in his left wrist and took some time off from swinging, as the knob of the bat caused pain on the fracture.
After a few days of batting practice at Target Field, Willingham is now ready for his rehab assignment.
"Everything went well. He was hitting some bombs," Antony said. "He's going to head to Rochester this afternoon and start his rehab tomorrow."
It remains to be seen how much time Willingham will need in Rochester before he feels ready to return to the Twins' lineup. He had just 17 at-bats with Minnesota and had five hits and six strikeouts during that stretch.
Each player is different when going out for a rehab assignment. Some need just a few games, while others may need more than a week. Willingham hasn't played in over a month, so the 11-year veteran may require some extra time to get comfortable at the plate.
"It's twofold. You want to make sure he's healthy. Secondly, you want to make sure that he's got his timing down and is swinging well before he comes back," Antony said. "We haven't really put a timetable on him. If it was up to him, it'd probably be about two or three days, but I don't think that's realistic."
Tonkin struggles for second straight game: Right-hander Michael Tonkin made his major-league debut last season with the Twins and was impressive in nine appearances late in the year. His start to the 2014 season hasn't been as successful, and the past two games haven't helped.
Tonkin gave up three runs on three hits in just 2/3 of an inning Tuesday against Boston. One day later, he allowed two unearned runs after giving up a hit and two walks in the Twins' 9-4 loss to the Red Sox. He's now given up at least one run in his last five outings after allowing just one total run in his first nine appearances.
"He's overthrowing the baseball. He's not using his breaking ball," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "You shouldn't have to tell them. They're supposed to be learning. When he uses his breaking ball and his slider and doesn't overthrow it, he can get people out. But he's just trying to throw the ball through a brick wall right now, and that's not working."
The 24-year-old Tonkin had an ERA of 0.79 in 11 1/3 innings last season. After a few rough outings in a row, his ERA so far this season has jumped to 6.35. While he's struck out eight batters this year, he's also walked six.
"I don't think he can live on just the fastball up here," Antony said. "He doesn't throw it 98 mph. It's 91 to 94 or 95. You've got to have a second pitch. You've got to have something to get them off the fastball."
Local star athletes to take part in celebrity softball game: Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, Wild forward Zach Parise and Lynx guard Maya Moore will all take part in the celebrity softball game during All-Star weekend at Target Field.
The softball game will take place after the MLB Futures Game on Sunday, July 13. Joining the list of local athletes are Minnesota residents Andrew Zimmern of "Bizarre Foods" and James Denton from "Desperate Housewives." Actor Jon Hamm, known best for his portrayal of Don Draper on the hit TV show "Mad Men," will also be participating in the event.
Additionally, former Twins slugger Jim Thome and pitcher Jack Morris will also play in the softball game.
Gophers coach makes Target Field appearance: University of Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill was on the field before Thursday's Twins at Target Field as part of Rise Above Seizures Day. Kill, who suffers from epilepsy, was there with the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota and was invited to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. However, he deferred to Travis Boynum, a sophomore at Rosemount High School, who also suffers from epilepsy.
Earlier in the day, Kill announced that he is starting the Chasing Dreams Fund, which will help raise money for school programs to educate children about the disease. He and his wife, Rebecca, donated $100,000 and aim to raise an initial $500,000. During the event to announce the new campaign, Kill donned a Twins jacket to go along with this Gophers hat.
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