MINNEAPOLIS—Boston Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo was expected to miss Saturday night's game against Minnesota with what manager Terry Francona said is likely a mild concussion, while Twins infielder Nick Punto was headed to the disabled list with a hamstring injury.
Lugo was injured Friday night when he collided with Matt Tolbert while sliding into second base. Jed Lowrie got the start in his place.
"He felt a little woozy this morning," Francona said.
Punto strained his left hamstring during the Twins' most recent road trip to Chicago. He tried to test it out before Saturday night's game, but said it was really sore.
Punto can still swing a bat, but he said the pain really flares up when he tries to sprint or change directions quickly. The hard-nosed Punto has been known to try to play through pain before, but manager Ron Gardenhire said he would be placed on the DL after the game to prevent Punto from injuring it further while trying to rush back.
"It's not a horrible strain, but there's a strain in there," Punto said. "I think Gardy knows my personality and saw it in my face today that it was probably better off just to put me on the DL. And he is probably right."
Twins second baseman Brendan Harris also was expected to miss the game with a right hamstring injury. He left Friday night's game in the fifth inning and Gardenhire said Harris would be available in an emergency situation.
The injuries left Gardenhire with just two healthy bats on the bench -- backup catcher Mike Redmond and outfielder Craig Monroe.
