Nick Punto needs surgery to repair a sports hernia and will miss 8-12 weeks.

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak expects Punto to play "sometime in May." This isn't a crippling blow for the team or anything, but Punto can at least play multiple positions pretty well and draw the occasional walk. Good thing the Cardinals were so willing to dump Brendan Ryan on the Mariners, because they could have really used someone like him right now.

Nick Punto has left Cardinals camp to have his sore right groin examined by a specialist.

The Cardinals are expecting Punto to return on Wednesday with some kind of answer as to when he might be able to fully participate in team practice. He did some drills Monday, but not with great intensity. The scrappy infielder will almost certainly sit out for the first few games on the Cards' Grapefruit League schedule.

Nick Punto (groin) participated in team drills Monday.

Punto arrived at camp with a bit of soreness on the right side of his groin and had been taking it easy. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said that the infielder practiced "under control" Monday, and that will probably remain the case until later in the week, when he is allowed to again let loose. Punto is expected to serve as a utility infielder this season.

Nick Punto is feeling some soreness in the right side of his groin.

The scrappy infielder has a meeting scheduled with Cardinals doctors Monday and will probably be asked to ease back into workouts. Punto inked a one-year, $750,000 contract with St. Louis this winter and will operate as a backup all around the infield this season. This little groin thing should be a non-issue soon enough.

Cardinals signed INF Nick Punto to a one-year contract.

Punto is a slick defensive infielder, but he has never been much of a hitter and won't suddenly become one in his second tour through the National League. Cardinals manger Tony La Russa uses his bench plays with great regularity and the 33-year-old should see action at third base, shortstop and second. But he won't be a fantasy option in the deepest of NL-only leagues.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Twins are not likely to sign Nick Punto.

Punto, 33, played the past seven seasons in Minnesota. From an MLB perspective, he is a solid defensive utility infielder. But with 13 career homers and a .247/.321/.322 batting line, his fantasy value hovers around negative territory. Wherever he might end up, leave him in peace.

The Indians met with the representative of free agent infielder Nick Punto on Tuesday.

Cleveland has been interested in Punto all along and appears to be the heavy favorite to sign him. The utilityman had his $5 million option declined by the Twins last month. Punto is a good glove man, and offers versatility and some speed, but he's an awful hitter, with a woeful .247/.321/.322 batting line over 2,468 career at-bats. It's possible Cleveland wants him as a starter at second base.

The Indians and free agent infielder Nick Punto have mutual interest, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes.

The utilityman had his $5 million option declined by the Twins last month. Punto is a good glove man, and offers versatility and some speed, but he's simply not a good hitter, with a woeful .247/.321/.322 batting line over 2,468 career at-bats. It's possible Cleveland could look at Punto as a starting option at second base.

Nick Punto's agent, Jeff Caufield, isn't sure if the Twins want to bring his client back with a lesser deal after they declined Punto's $5 million option for 2011.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's La Velle E. Neal III, Punto "drove manager Ron Gardenhire nuts by frequently diving into first base." Punto is the ultimate "hustle" player and offers defensive versatility, but he'll have to settle for a utility job somewhere. He's a better fit for the National League.

Twins declined INF Nick Punto's $5 million option for 2011.

A no-brainer move for the Twins. Punto is the king of hustle and has a nice infield glove, but he hit just .238/.313/.302 with one home run in 252 at-bats for Minnesota this year. He will enter the free agent market this offseason in the search of a major league utility infield job.

Twins activated INF Nick Punto from the 15-day disabled list.

He's back, but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire doesn't think he's 100 percent, so don't look for him to be in the lineup right away. Punto has been sidelined for the past three weeks due to a strained left hamstring.

Twins placed infielder Nick Punto on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.

Punto aggravated his hamstring in his first game back Thursday against the White Sox, so now he's on the DL for the third time this year. Danny Valencia will continue to play third base regularly, and Alexi Casilla should get those starts at short when J.J. Hardy can't go.

According to LaVelle E. Neal III, the Twins are placing Nick Punto back on the DL with a hamstring strain.

It'd be his third stint on the DL this season. Matt Tolbert will take his roster spot.

Nick Punto left Thursday's game with a left hamstring strain.

Punto appeared to injure himself on a head-first slide. He just spent over two weeks on the disabled list with a very similar injury.

Nick Punto is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.

We expected to see Punto on the lineup card in his return from the disabled list, so it's a bit of a surprise to see Danny Valencia in there. It will be interesting to see how this situation will be handled moving forward.

Twins activated 3B Nick Punto from the 15-day disabled list.

The Twins kick off a major three-game series against the White Sox on Tuesday night and Punto is likely to be in the starting lineup. Danny Valencia has played well at third base in his absence, though, and could get a healthy share of playing time at the hot corner down the stretch.

The Twins are now targeting Tuesday for Nick Punto's return from his hamstring injury.

Punto will now work out Sunday and then join the team on Tuesday. He has no power to speak of and the batting average is not projected to improve this year either since his luck on batted balls has been neutral. Unless fielding is a component in your fantasy league, he is a poor option.

Nick Punto (hamstring) could return from the disabled list this weekend.

Punto will work out with the Twins on Friday. If everything checks out and he has ful range of motion, it'll be back to third base for the 32-year-old. He had a .642 OPS and 20 RBI in 80 games before the injury.

Twins placed infielder Nick Punto on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 29, with a strained hamstring.

With Punto out of the mix, expect to see plenty of Alexi Casilla at second base and Danny Valencia at third for the next couple of weeks. Even with Orlando Hudson on the DL, it's still not much of a loss.

Nick Punto will probably go on the disabled list with the hamstring injury he suffered Wednesday.

No big loss. The Twins needed to give Danny Valencia an extended look anyway. He should be the regular third baseman for now.