Joe

Mays

That ends any comeback hopes the right-hander may have had for this season. Mays, who had Tommy John surgery last September, should be recovered in time for spring training this coming February.

Mays boiled it all down to one bad pitch to Hideki Matsui, which went for a grand slam. It’s probably more complex than that, and you’ll want to select which teams you start Mays against for a while.

Mays, who pitched in a simulated game in Fort Myers last week, has been down this road before, and has suffered numerous setbacks. He has not pitched in the majors since late last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and we are not optimistic he can be a productive member of the Twins’ pitching staff in 2004.

Mays had surgery to remove scar tissue from the back of his right elbow after a setback in his Tommy John rehab. The overpaid right-hander will have to compete for the job, but he is the leading candidate to act as the Twins’ fifth starter this season.

His mechanics were a little out of whack, but Mays said he felt good. He’s expected to be Minnesota’s fifth starter if he proves he’s healthy.

Mays hopes to make it back to the big leagues by late in the season, but he won’t have a fantasy impact in 2004.

Mays may come back as a reliever initially. It’s unlikely that he’ll make any real contribution this year.

Mays still experiences occasional discomfort in the joint but figures that’s the expected breaking up of scar tissue. Mays didn’t comment on his shoulder, but he also had problems with it last month. He is an injury risk heading into the season.

Don’t count on any meaningful fantasy contributions from Mays this season.

The discomfort he felt in his right elbow the past week is just scar tissue breaking up and is a normal occurrence after ligament transplant surgery.