"The Twins are about ready to throw Joe Mauer into the pool and see if he can swim. The question regarding the lifelong catcher playing first base is no longer if, but when.

"We're going to do that no matter what. He's going to play," manager Ron Gardenhire said before Saturday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Target Field. "He's going to get out there pretty soon. I think he's pretty much ready to go."

In fact, Gardenhire nearly penciled Mauer in at first on Saturday because Luke Hughes came to the park with a sore knee, though he was later deemed OK to play.

Mauer said he's as ready as he'll ever be.

"It's probably going to be one of those things where I just go out and do it," he said. "Ideally, you'd like to get in a couple spring training games, but that's not what the situation is right now.

"Really, the only reason I'm taking ground balls and things like that is because we've had so many injuries, and if that's a way I can help out the team, that's what I'm going to do. But ideally, yeah, you'd like to get an exhibition game, or whatever, in first. But that's not where we are."

While fighting through injuries during nearly all of his six full major league seasons, Mauer has consistently insisted that he is and should be a catcher. Asked if he's worried that even a temporary move to first base would inch him closer to changing positions, Mauer said, "No, not at all.""