Twins general manager Bill Smith said Tuesday that Tsuyoshi Nishioka (broken leg) "is on schedule, if not ahead of schedule."

Nishioka is playing catch and has done some some work on both an underwater treadmill and a regular treadmill. We originally heard he would miss between 4-6 weeks when he suffered the injury on April 7, so we're likely looking at a return sometime in May.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (broken leg) played long toss on Monday morning at Target Field.

Nishioka is on the disabled list currently with a fractured left fibula and is not expected to return to the major leagues until near the end of May. He's doing pool workouts and riding an exercise bike almost daily but has not yet begun running on flat ground.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured left fibula) underwent another X-ray and remains on track to return before the end of next month.

Good news. Nishioka fractured his left fibula back on April 7, but did not need surgery or a cast. He is currently able to ride an exercise bike and walk in the pool and will soon progress to doing some light running in the pool. Luke Hughes, Michael Cuddyer and Matt Tolbert will continue to see time at second base in his absence.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured left fibula) was moving around and playing catch without crutches or a wheelchair before Tuesday's game.

Good news, but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire cautioned that "it's going to be a while" before he is ready to return. While Nishioka did not need surgery or a cast for his fractured fibula, he is still expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured left fibula) is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

It's pretty much the timetable we were expecting, though it should be more precise once he's off crutches. The Japanese import will not require surgery or a cast and will remain on crutches until the soreness goes away. Luke Hughes will handle the bulk of the starts at second base while Nishioka is out.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka (fractured left fibula) will not require surgery or a cast.

He'll remain on crutches until the soreness subsides, then we'll have a more precise timetable for his return. Right now it looks like he'll miss a month, or perhaps even longer. Luke Hughes was called up from the minors Friday and is likely to log most of the time at second base for now.

Twins placed 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka placed on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left fibula.

Luke Hughes has been recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take his roster spot, though Matt Tolbert seems most likely to take his place in the lineup for the time being. The Twins do not yet have a timetable for Nishioka's return, but he seems certain to miss at least a month, and likely more. Hughes led the team with six spring training home runs, and is worth monitoring in AL-only leagues.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka has been diagnosed with a fractured fibula.

The Japanese infielder suffered the unfortunate injury on Thursday when Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher upended him on a takeout slide that successfully broke up an attempted double play. Nishioka was surely warned about the physicality of major league takeout slides this spring but could do nothing to avoid Swisher in what looked to be a clean play. The Twins, now desperately short on middle infielders, will place Nishioka on the disabled list for at least a month.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka was pulled from Thursday's game with an apparent ankle injury.

Nishioka may have twisted something on a well-executed takeout slide by Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher. He had to be helped off the field by his translator and a team trainer.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is concerned about the communication issues that have occurred between second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka and shortstop Alexi Casilla.

Nishioka had two misplays early on in Friday's opener and on Saturday was positioned incorrectly on Edwin Encarnacion's RBI single. "That probably should be Nishi's ball, and Lexi's flying across [the base]," Gardenhire said. "That's playing together a little more, but those things can't happen." The Japanese import has dealt with some nervousness and is probably pressing trying to impress his new team. He'll get over it in time and should be just fine.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka did not play Monday due to a mild quad strain.

It's only a minor concern. In fact, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Nishioka would have played if it was the regular season.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI against the Orioles on Sunday.

Nishioka looks like the favorite to bat second for the Twins ahead of Joe Mauer. He's 4-for-15 with a steal through five games. The triple off Rick VandenHurk was his first extra-base hit.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Tsuyoshi Nishioka will play second base this season.

It's what has been expected, but now we have confirmation. Gardenhire wanted to see how the Japanese import looked at both second base and shortstop before determining where to play him, but he evidently made the decision after Nishioka told him he feels more comfortable at second base right now. That means Alexi Casilla will hold down the shortstop position.

In his spring debut, Tsuyoshi Nishioka impressed manager Ron Gardenhire with his speed and defense.

Nishioka is readying for his first major league season after playing the past seven years in Japan. In 2010 he hit .346/.423/.482 for the Chiba Lotte Marines, and tallied an incredible .401 on balls hit in play. While he would be hard-pressed to duplicate those numbers in the majors, Nishioka has the tools to succeed at this level.