"Justin Morneau's latest injury could be what finally pushes Joe Mauer into a different position. Not for keeps, and certainly not quickly, but manager Ron Gardenhire said Friday he has asked the Twins catcher to get a first baseman's glove.

"I've always told him, 'If I can help the team any way, that's what I'm going to do,' " Mauer said. "I think he knows I haven't done it (before), but, yeah, I'm definitely capable of doing it. But obviously this is the major league level.

"I want to help the team."

In parts of eight major league seasons, Mauer has never played a defensive position other than catcher. But a long string of leg injuries has many wondering if the 6-foot-5, 230-pound player is too big to play there every day. He had offseason surgery to clean out his left knee and recently returned from a two-month stint on the disabled list as he recovered from weakness in both legs.

Though he has played as many as 146 games only once in his career, Mauer - and the team - insists he is a catcher. But with Morneau to miss more than six weeks because of neck surgery scheduled for Wednesday, Gardenhire believes it's time to tinker.

"We're not afraid to move people around and keep his bat in the lineup on a more everyday basis," he said.

Mauer has won three Gold Gloves as a catcher and won three batting titles and the 2009 American League Most Valuable Player Award while playing the most physically demanding position. When he returned from the DL on June 17, he said it was because he was ready to catch nearly every day. "