Twins GM tells recovering Morneau to skip fan fest

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Twins have asked slugger Justin Morneau to skip the team's annual fan festival this weekend so he can keep concentrating on his recovery from a concussion.

General manager Bill Smith says he told Morneau it would be better for him to continue working out in Phoenix and preparing for spring training.

Smith says Morneau has been working out hard, but is still a week to 10 days away from starting any baseball activities such as swinging a bat. Smith wants Morneau to stay on track with his workouts rather than miss time by traveling to Minnesota for TwinsFest.

Smith called it a difficult decision because it's such an important event to the organization. Morneau missed the last three months of last season because of the concussion.