Luke Hughes will have his right shoulder examined Thursday in Minnesota by team physician Dr. Dan Buss.

Hughes suffered the injury last week during a home plate collision in the Australian Winter League. He had an MRI exam before leaving Australia, but the club wants to be cautious and take an MRI of their own before he heads down to Fort Myers, Florida. The 27-year-old enters spring training out of options and is expected to battle for a backup infielder job.

Luke Hughes is headed back to Minnesota after suffering a shoulder injury in an Australian baseball league.

Hughes was involved in a home-plate collision in a game against Melbourne and hasn't felt right since, but the Twins seem confident the shoulder is merely jammed. "He had an MRI in Australia," GM Terry Ryan said. "We're going to bring him in here, probably Thursday or Friday, to make sure everything's in order. He'll go right to Fort Myers [Fla.] for spring training." The 27-year-old will be competing for a backup job in camp.

Luke Hughes slugged a pair of home runs against the Tigers on Sunday, driving in five runs in an 11-4 Twins victory.

Hughes tagged Brad Penny for a two-run shot in the fifth before taking David Pauley deep for a three-run bomb in the seventh. He entered the afternoon with just four home runs and 19 RBI in 226 plate appearances over 70 games. He's not a compelling option in AL-only leagues.

Twins recalled INF Luke Hughes from Triple-A Rochester.

The corresponding roster move hasn't been announced, but Denard Span (concussion), Michael Cuddyer (neck) are potential candidates to be placed on the disabled list while Jason Kubel has left the team due to a family emergency in California. Hughes, 27, is batting .233/.296/.317 with three homers, 15 RBI and a .613 OPS over 198 plate appearances with the Twins this season.

The Twins will recall Luke Hughes from Triple-A Rochester prior to Thursday's game.

It's not clear at this point which corresponding move will be made, but Denard Span (concussion) and Michael Cuddyer (neck) are both candidates for the disabled list. Jason Kubel will also be away from the team Thursday for family reasons, so it's possible he could be placed on the bereavement list.

Twins optioned INF Luke Hughes to Triple-A Rochester.

Hughes was recalled just three days ago and went hitless over three at bats in one appearance. He'll be minor league depth in case someone goes down with an injury.

Twins recalled INF Luke Hughes from Triple-A Rochester.

Hughes was demoted just a few days ago. He's hitting .237 in 177 at-bats this season in the major leagues and will provide depth off the Minnesota bench.

Twins optioned INF Luke Hughes to Triple-A Rochester.

He was sent out to make room for Scott Baker's return from the disabled list. Hughes has spent most of the season on the Twins' active roster, batting .237 with three homers and 15 RBI over 177 at-bats.

Luke Hughes provided the big blow for the Twins Friday, ripping a three-run shot off Will Ohman to cap off a six-run fourth inning.

Hughes also had a couple singles, giving him just the third three-hit game of his career. Despite tonight's outburst, he's nowhere close to someone you want to own in fantasy.

Luke Hughes hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning to help the Twins to a 6-4 victory over the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Hughes' homer accounted for the last runs of the game as both bullpens didn't surrender a run. The 26-year-old Aussie has seen plenty of playing time this season while the Twins have been hammered by injuries, but he's posted just a .241/.301/.326 slash line in 145 at-bats. His two-position eligibility and access to at-bats makes him ownable in AL-only leagues, but you shouldn't expect an uptick in production.

Twins recalled INF Luke Hughes from Triple-A Rochester.

Hughes spent over a month with the Twins earlier this season but posted an underwhelming .211/.253/.296 batting line in 75 plate appearances. He's probably not going to have a big impact this time either.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he might start giving Luke Hughes some starts at first and third base when Justin Morneau and Danny Valencia need a break.

Of course, Gardy said over a week ago that he'd like to give Hughes some time at shortstop, but that's yet to happen. He'll continue to see the occasional start on the infield but offers little in the way of production.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Wednesday that he might give Luke Hughes a start at shortstop in the near future.

Hughes is mediocre at second base, so we can hardly see him as a legitimate option at shortstop. This wouldn't even be an issue if Alexi Casilla was producing offensively.

Twins recalled INF Luke Hughes from Triple-A Rochester.

He's taking Tsuyoshi Nishioka's place on the roster after he suffered a broken leg on Thursday, and should split time with Matt Tolbert at second base during Nishioka's absence. Hughes led the Twins with six spring training home runs, and it's not out of the question that he could carve out some value in AL-only leagues if he gets the at-bats.

Twins optioned 3B Luke Hughes and RHP James Hoey to Triple-A Rochester.

Hughes has belted six home runs this spring, but it wasn't enough to land a utility role with the Twins. It likely came down to him versus Matt Tolbert, and Tolbert is more versatile. Hoey feels good physically, which is the main thing for him. He should be part of the bullpen at some point this season.

Luke Hughes hit his fourth homer of the spring Monday in the rout of the Marlins.

Hughes, who made his major league debut last April, is 13-for-36 and has three doubles to go along with the four homers. The Twins will likely continue to favor Matt Tolbert for a utility role, since Hughes is a poor second baseman and is unplayable at shortstop. A team looking for a fallback third baseman, though, could do worse than to take a chance on the native of Australia.

Twins optioned INF Luke Hughes to Triple-A Rochester.

He was cleared in anticipation of Nick Punto's return from the disabled list on Saturday. The 25-year-old Hughes was 2-for-7 with a home run during his brief promotion.

Luke Hughes hit a home run in his first career at-bat on Wednesday night.

Hughes started at third base and batted ninth. He launched the memorable moment off hard-throwing Tigers starter Max Scherzer and rounded the bases with a little smile on his face. It's a nice moment for Hughes, but he's not on the fantasy radar as a backup.

Twins recalled infielder Luke Hughes from Triple-A Rochester.

Hughes, a 25-year-old from Australia, will make his major league debut after hitting .267/.327/.444 in 12 games for Rochester. He'll back up Brendan Harris at third base.