Cuddyer was hurt in Wednesday's game against Detroit when he made a hard slide into second base to break up a double play. He was originally scheduled to play Thursday, but manager Ron Gardenhire was nervous about Cuddyer's swollen, black-and-blue hand. An MRI exam on Friday revealed ligament damage that is expected to require 10 to 14 days of recovery.

Outfielder Darnell McDonald's contract was selected from Triple-A Rochester, and the 28-year-old — whose only prior major league experience was a 17-game stint with Baltimore in 2004 — was in right field and batting seventh for Friday's game against Los Angeles.

Cuddyer is one of a handful of Twins who have been reliable hitters all season, while several holes at the bottom of the order have contributed to their struggle to stay relevant in the AL playoff race. They were just swept in a three-game series by division-leading Detroit, defeats by the scores of 1-0, 3-2 and 4-3 in which they had numerous chances to drive in go-ahead runs.

"We're having trouble sustaining offense, and there's no better example than the past couple games," general manager Terry Ryan said, answering a question about his level of urgency to acquire another hitter before the trade deadline. "Maybe one guy can provide that."

Cuddyer, who had four hits on Wednesday and is batting .289 with 10 homers and 56 RBIs, was batting cleanup. Justin Morneau will move from fifth to fourth while he's out.

"Guys have to pick each other up," Gardenhire said. "Everybody has injuries. We've got to try to fill some holes until he gets back. That's all we can do."

Regardless of whether or not Ryan adds a player in the coming weeks, the Twins are anticipating the return of one of their original regulars, left fielder Rondell White.

The often-injured 35-year-old strained his right calf muscle while running out of the dugout just four games into the season. He reinjured it three weeks later and has been rehabilitating in Florida ever since, with his hamstring recently becoming more of a problem than the calf.

But Ryan said White is fully healthy, and after beginning a second rehab assignment this weekend he could be back within a couple of days.