Tolbert to have thumb surgery

5/20/2008 6:32 PM

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Minnesota Twins second baseman Matt Tolbert learned a hard lesson about not sliding into first base.

Tolbert will have surgery Thursday to repair an injured ligament on his left thumb and it will take at least four and a half weeks before he even starts rehabilitation. He was injured last week in Colorado when he slid head-first into first base while trying to beat a throw.

``No more diving into first,'' Tolbert said. ``We're taught not to dive into first. It wasn't a pre-planned thing.''

A ligament in Tolbert's thumb detached and now the rookie says he can hardly bend it and is having difficulty doing everyday things from pulling up his pants to buttoning his shirts.

``I really didn't know how much your thumb helps you out with things until you have something like this,'' Tolbert said.

It was the worst possible timing for Tolbert, who was on the verge of becoming an everyday player thanks to his steady glove and timely hitting. Now he'll be on the shelf likely until July at the earliest.

``You never want to get hurt as a rookie,'' Tolbert said. ``You just don't know what can happen.''

Nervous by nature, Tolbert fretted about losing his spot on the roster during his time away and said he will stay in the Twin Cities as long as he can to keep himself close to the game.

``Stay in the big leagues as long as I can,'' he said.

The Twins preach to their players not to dive into first base, saying that the play carries too high a risk of injury. Tolbert has heard the warnings time and again, but said that ``in the heat of battle, some of that stuff goes out the window when you're playing.''

He says the aggressiveness has always been a part of his game, and he doesn't expect this injury to take that away from him.

``I'm going to make sure it's completely healed,'' Tolbert said, ``before I go out there and be reckless again.''