Tsuyoshi Nishioka will bat seventh Friday night against the Padres.

Nishoka batted third Thursday in his return from the disabled list, but he finds himself bumped now that Joe Mauer is also back. He'll probably be the No. 2 hitter eventually, but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire doesn't want to mess with Ben Revere and Alexi Casilla, who have been productive at the top of of the lineup of late.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka will bat third in his return from the disabled list Thursday against the White Sox.

While this is an interesting decision by Ron Gardenhire, it's more of a statement about how weak the Twins' starting lineup is right now. Nishioka should move to the No. 2 spot when Joe Mauer is activated from the disabled list Friday, so don't get used to it.

Twins activated 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka from the 60-day disabled list.

Nishioka is not in the Twins' starting lineup on Wednesday night against the White Sox, but he should be ready to go for Thursday afternoon's series finale. The Japanese import has good speed and is worth owning in some deeper fantasy leagues for his potential to steal bases. Other than that, he's not a great option.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (leg) is not in Wednesday's lineup.

The Twins are apparently going to give the Japanese infielder another day of rest before inserting him back into the major league starting lineup. Nishioka went 8-for-24 (.333) during a seven-game rehab assignment and should have no trouble starting regularly at shortstop once he is indeed activated from the disabled list.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) went 0-for-4 with a walk Tuesday in his final minor league rehab game with Triple-A Rochester.

He also played all nine innings at shortstop. Most expect him to be activated from the disabled list Wednesday, but he'll need to be cleared by doctors first. "What we want to do is let the doctors and trainers see him," said Twins general manager Bill Smith. "They haven't seen him in a long time. He's been down there in Fort Myers for a long time, so we want to let them see him before we do anything further." Nishioka hit .333 (8-for-24) over seven rehab games between High-A Fort Myers and Triple-A Rochester.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) is scheduled to start at second base Tuesday in his latest minor league rehab game with Triple-A Rochester.

Nishioka is batting .400 (8-for-20) with two doubles, a stolen base and two RBI over his first six rehab games between High-A Fort Myers and Triple-A Rochester. The Twins haven't confirmed it, but he could return from the disabled list as soon as Wednesday. He is expected to play shortstop once he rejoins the Twins.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) has informed the Japanese media that he could be back Wednesday.

Nishioka told the throng of Japanese reporters who follow him Tuesday that he will be departing Triple-A Rochester for the Twin Cities on Wednesday morning. That could mean that he will also return to the Minnesota starting lineup on Wednesday night. Nishioka has been on the disabled list since early April with a broken leg.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) will play three rehab games with Triple-A Rochester and "should be able to join us by mid-week."

Nishioka hit .333 in four rehab games with High-A Fort Myers but will get to see some better pitching for a few days before being activated. As expected, he will play shortstop upon his return to the Twins, with Alexi Casilla shifting over to second base.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) will most likely head to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday for the first of a few rehab appearances.

Nishioka has been with High-A Fort Myers, but the Twins want to ramp up his rehab before clearing him for a return to the 25-man roster. With Nishioka having all of 24 major-league at-bats to his name, big things shouldn't be expected for when he first comes off the disabled list, which should be before next weekend.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire would like Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) to play in some rehab games with Triple-A Rochester before being activated from the disabled list.

Nishioka has been playing at High-A Fort Myers, but Gardy hasn't been too pleased with the infielder's swing and thinks he needs to be tested against better competition before rejoining the big club. "They talked about early next week for him [to return], too, but he hasn't played enough games and he's not going full out," Gardenhire said. "I would like to see him go to Triple-A and get him some ballgames and get him some little [better] competition, He's not been swinging great, so I want to see him go full out."

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) will begin a rehab assignment for High-A Fort Myers on Monday.

He must be over the soreness that had been preventing him from heading to the minor leagues. Out for nearly two months and the owner of just six major-league appearances, Nishioka's rehab assignment figures to be a fairly lengthy one, even though the Twins desperately need a boost in their middle infield.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) went 0-for-3 Monday in a game at extended spring training.

Nishioka played a full nine innings at second base and reported no problems with his healing left leg. The infielder is aiming to return to the majors by mid-June.

Twins transfered SS Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) to the 60-day disabled list.

The move is purely procedural, as Nishioka is still progressing on schedule in his recovery from a broken leg. He played in his first extended spring training game on Saturday, and is targeting a mid-June return to the Twins, who have gotten absolutely no production from their second basemen during Nishioka's absence.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) is scheduled to play Friday in his first extended spring training game.

He'll make the start at shortstop, which could be an indication of the Twins' plans once he is activated from the disabled list. The Twins want him to play at least 10 rehab games, so it's possible we could see him return during the first week of June.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) continues to make progress but is not quite ready to start playing in games.

Nishioka has been taking batting and fielding practice daily and recently was been able to begin sprinting, but a rehab assignment isn't imminent. Whether or not he returns as a second baseman or a shortstop is also up in the air.

Ron Gardenhire said Saturday that Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) will likely have to play in at least 10 rehab games plus spend time with Triple-A Rochester before getting back with the Twins.

Nishioka is getting closer to starting those rehab games, but the Twins don't have an exact timetable yet. At this point, a return before the end of May seems like a longshot.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) began baseball activities in extended spring training Tuesday.

"We don't know when he'll start in games, but he needs to get his ground balls in and start running bases," trainer Dave Pruemer said. "He's not going to do any of that for a little bit. But he did start taking some ground balls today and felt fine." remains on track for a return in the next few weeks. Nishioka remains on track for a return in the next couple weeks.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire didn't dismiss the possibility that Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) could be moved to shortstop when he returns.

"Well, just get Nishi well and we will make all the decisions on when and where," Gardenhire said. "We know he can play both sides of the infield. Whatever makes our team better is what we'll do when Nishi comes back." The Twins have grown frustrated by the play of Alexi Casilla, who is batting .167 and has made numerous mistakes in the field and on the basepaths. Moving Nishioka over to shortstop would allow Gardy to keep Michael Cuddyer at second base and Jim Thome and Jason Kubel in the lineup every day. The Japanese import is expected back in mid-to-late May.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured fibula) has been throwing and hitting and is able to run on a treadmill.

The Twins are still waiting on results of X-rays on Nishioka's left fibula to make sure the bone is healing properly so they can ramp up his activities. He'll probably go to extended spring training next to continue his rehab, but there's been no talk yet of when that will occur.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka is scheduled to have X-rays on his lower left leg on Friday.

"Nishioka is doing great," said Twins head trainer Rick McWane. "We'll decide after the X-ray what the next step for him will be. He's progressed from the pool to dry land. He did some running on a treadmill yesterday. He did OK with that. He's done some swinging in the cages and he's getting really close to turning it up a little bit." Nishioka is on track to meet the original 4-6 week timetable, so he should he back sometime next month.