Twins' Mauer suffered blurred vision due to concussions

Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer revealed that concussions he suffered during his time as the team's catcher brought on blurred vision in the past couple of seasons, including during some plate appearances.

In an interview with the Pioneer Press, Mauer said that his blurred vision was mainly triggered by bright lighting. However, the former catcher also affirmed that, contrary to last year, he hasn't been bothered by any symptoms lately while working with strength coach Roger Erickson.

"Some of the exercises we tried to do last year, I'd come up and be like, 'Whoa.' Now it’s gradually getting better," he said. "I'm excited for that. That's why I'm excited to get down there and try some different things.

"It could be a lot of things," Mauer continued. "There are so many different symptoms. For me it was lighting, I couldn't really pick up the ball. It was blurry at times. Where I am here versus last year at this time, I can tell my workouts are better."

A former American League MVP and five-time Silver Slugger, Mauer hit .327/.410/.473 (.883 OPS) in eight seasons from 2006 to 2013, however, those numbers dropped significantly within the past two seasons to .270/.348/.376 (.725 OPS), likely due to the issues with his vision.

Mauer's concussions were the primary reason for his switch to first base in 2013, and the 32-year-old admitted he could have been much more cautious with his latest afflictions.

"Athletes are wired a certain way where you play through anything," he said. "I think there were some things maybe I should have taken a step back and taken a look at and tried to take care of, especially physically."