MINNEAPOLIS -- Eduardo Escobar left Thursday's 9-2 loss to the Red Sox in the fourth inning with a right elbow contusion and is listed as day to day.
Escobar, who is batting .299 and leads the Majors with 32 doubles, collapsed to the ground and stayed down for several minutes after being drilled by a 92.1-mph fastball from Rick Porcello in the first inning.
Twins manager Paul Molitor was asked if he thought the pitch that hit Escobar was intentional.
"It didn't look particularly good to me," Molitor said.
Molitor said he wasn't sure if the Red Sox might have targeted Escobar after Minnesota starter Kyle Gibson threw a fastball high and inside to Boston's J.D. Martinez in the top of the first.
"I respect Porcello a lot," Escobar said. "He's one of the best pitchers in the league. If he did it on purpose, I don't really know what the purpose is behind it. I've never done anything against him. I was trying to protect myself and we'll just move on."
The Twins' utilityman eventually got to his feet and stayed in the game for two more innings. After he struck out swinging to end the third inning, Escobar was replaced by Taylor Motter at third base.
"He's sore and swollen," Molitor said of Escobar. "I think it got the bottom of the triceps more than on the elbow. We tried to see if he was able to continue, and he gave it a go, but you could tell he was having trouble swinging in that second at-bat."
The Twins were also without their leading hitter, Eddie Rosario, for Thursday's game. Rosario was scratched from the lineup with soreness in his right shoulder.