Perkins (back) will likely be available Friday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Perkins has been unavailable the past three games as he was dealing with back spasms, but it appears that the issue is mostly behind him. Manager Paul Molitor indicated Perkins likely wouldn't serve as the team's closer in his first game back, but he could return to that role over the weekend.

Manager Paul Molitor said Thursday that he's optimistic that Perkins (back) will be available Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Perkins was unavailable to pitch Thursday and hasn't made an appearance since Aug. 23 after a bout of back spasms flared up on him. Molitor's comments Thursday indicate that Perkins is nearing a return, but it's still not set in stone that the closer will be ready to pitch Friday.

Perkins is dealing with back spasms and was unavailable to pitch in Wednesday's win over the Rays, LaVelle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Perkins watched as Kevin Jepsen tossed a scoreless ninth inning to claim the save. It doesn't sound like the lefty closer isn't dealing with a particularly serious setback, but staying healthy has been an issue of late nonetheless. Before making his last appearance Sunday, Perkins went unused in the Twins' previous five games while he battled a sore neck.

Perkins (neck) threw a scoreless 11th inning with a strikeout to earn the win in Sunday's victory over Baltimore.

Perkins had not pitched since Aug. 17 due to a bulging disk in his neck. He had a cortisone shot Wednesday in his neck and originally wasn't set to return until Tuesday. However, after playing catch without issue Saturday he was pressed into duty Sunday. It's not clear if he'll be strong enough to resume the closer role right away and his health may be touch-and-go the rest of the season.

Perkins played catch Saturday and said he felt "great," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He will likely next throw a bullpen session Sunday with a goal of being available Tuesday.

Perkins received two cortisone shots Wednesday to treat a bulging disk in his neck. It sounds like he's making progress, but any setback will likely land him on the DL. Kevin Jepsen will server as closer while Perkins is out.

Perkins (neck) likely will not be ready to return to pitching in games until Tuesday, LaVelle Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Perkins received a cortisone injection in his neck Wednesday, but the team expects him to require a few days to play catch and throw at least one bullpen session before returning to game action. Tuesday appears to be the tentative target, though that date could fluctuate.

Minnesota Twins pitcher Glen Perkins, who had a cortisone injection in his neck Wednesday, is not expected to be ready to pitch until Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Minnesota Twins pitcher Glen Perkins, who had a cortisone injection in his neck Wednesday, is not expected to be ready to pitch until Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Perkins will not throw until at least Saturday but will pitch a bullpen session, perhaps more, before returning. It is unclear how long Perkins has been dealing with a sore neck, but he has struggled since the All-Star break, posting an 8.10 earned-run average with three blowns saves. He last pitched Monday when he allowed a run on two hits and a walk to take the loss against the Yankees. Perkins had a sore neck last season and was eventually shut down with a left forearm strain and secondary nerve irritation in his elbow. The Twins have fallen to four games out of the second wild-card spot in the American League.

Perkins received a cortisone injection for his sore neck Wednesday and will not try to throw again until at least Saturday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Perkins hasn't been placed on the DL as the plan for now is to keep him on the roster until he tries to throw again. It's not clear who will be used as Minnesota's closer while Perkins is out as Trevor May and Kevin Jepsen would appear to be the leading candidates. It's a worrisome injury since Perkins had a sore neck last season and was eventually shut down with a left forearm strain and secondary nerve irritation in his elbow.

Perkins will receive a cortisone injection for a neck issue that has been bothering him, ESPN 1500 am Twin Cities reports.

The injury may explain Perkins' recent struggles as he has a 8.10 ERA and has blown three saves in ten innings since the All-Star break. It's not clear how much time, if any, he'll miss due to the ailment. However, it's a worrisome injury since Perkins had a sore neck last season and was eventually shut down with a left forearm strain and secondary nerve irritation in his elbow.

Perkins worked around a hit in a scoreless inning Sunday against the Indians to earn his 31st save of the season.

The lefty had been scored upon in five of his last eight outings heading into Sunday, so a strong performance was a welcome sight for his owners and the Twins alike. Perkins still owns a tidy 2.49 on the season and will continue on as a strong source of saves.

Perkins pitched around a hit and a walk, striking out three, in a scoreless ninth inning as he picked up his 30th save in the Twins' 10-9 win over Cleveland on Friday night.

After a dazzling first half where he was 28-for-28 in save chances with a 1.24 ERA, Perkins has struggled a bit since the break. Still carrying a solid 2.45 ERA, the Twins have indicated he is just going through a tough stretch and should pitch his way out of it which he is showing signs of doing.

Perkins entered the ninth inning in a tied game and gave up two hits and a home run to fall to 0-3 in Tuesday's loss to Pittsburgh. Perkins has given up a go-ahead home run in his last two outings.

Perkins has given up six runs in his last 3.2 innings with three home runs allowed. Manager Paul Molitor said he wasn't concerned about Perkin's recent slump after the game, so at least it sounds like he'll be able to work his way through his recent poor stretch.

Perkins allowed four earned runs in 0.2 innings Saturday, recording his second blown save of the season.

After going three and a half months without blowing a single save, Perkins has blown two since the All-Star break. He was rocked by the Yankees, allowing more than two earned runs for the first time this season. His ERA spiked from 1.37 to 2.25 in the blown save opportunity.

Perkins posted another perfect inning, striking out one, to register his 28th save of the season in the Twins' 5-3 win over Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon.

He remains perfect (28-for-28) in save chances, and this one moved him into a tie with Eddie Guardado for third in saves for the franchise. Perkins now has a 1.24 ERA on the year, and will quite deservedly be representing the Twins in next week's All-Star game.

Perkins breezed through the ninth to finish off a 2-0 victory over AL Central-leading Kansas City on Thursday night.

Perkins remained perfect in 26 attempts, and needs two more saves to match bullpen coach Eddie Guardado (116) for third-most in franchise history. For the season, the 32-year-old has a 1.35 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 30:5 K:BB ratio.

Perkins threw a perfect ninth inning Saturday to pick up his 24th save of the season.

A 1.44 ERA and 0.96 WHIP (not to mention all those saves) should have him headed straight to the All-Star Game in a couple of weeks. His K/9 rate has slipped below 9.0 for the first time since he became a regular member of the Twins' bullpen in 2011, which is a tiny bit worrisome, but otherwise Perkins is having the best season of his career.

Perkins pitched the final four outs -- two of which were strikeouts -- to pick up the save Wednesday against St Louis.

Perkins improved to 23-for-23 in save chances this season and is now leading the majors in saves. He has a 1.53 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and a 26:4 K:BB ratio in 29.1 innings this season.

Perkins tossed a perfect ninth inning to earn his 22nd save of the season Sunday against the Rangers.

The lefty needed just eight pitches to finish off the game and lowered his season ERA to 1.61 in the process. Perkins' strikeout numbers are down this season (7.71 K/9), but he leads the majors in saves and should continue as a strong fantasy reliever as the resurgent Twins continue to present him with an abundance of opportunities.

Perkins walked one and struck out one during a scoreless ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday to earn his 21st save of the season.

The Twins' closer has been a fantasy boon this season, as he is leading the league in saves and has a minuscule 1.67 ERA through 27 innings. As long as this surprising Minnesota team continues to scratch out wins, Perkins will remain a strong reliever option.

Perkins struck out two in a perfect ninth to pick up his 20th save of the season in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox.

Perkins is now 20-for-20 in save chances this season and leads the majors in total saves.