DENVER -- The Twins placed infielder Matt Tolbert on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a torn ligament in his left thumb.

Tolbert injured the thumb while diving headfirst into first base on the final play of Thursday's 3-2, 11-inning loss to Toronto. He underwent an MRI on Friday afternoon in Colorado which revealed the damage.

The 26-year-old utility infielder didn't immediately inform the team of the injury, feeling a little guilty about diving into first base, and tried to ice it on his own Thursday night, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

But when Tolbert arrived at Coors Field on Friday afternoon, the thumb was black and blue and, according to Gardenhire, looked "like a blown up glove."

Tolbert, who is batting .265 over 30 games this season, was going to try to ice the thumb and tape it up to take early batting practice. But the training staff told him that wasn't a good idea and instead sent him to get the MRI.

"He apologized for diving into first, but I said, 'Don't ever apologize for playing,'" Gardenhire said. "He played hard and dove into first, which we don't like, but don't ever apologize for trying to make a play. But he's that kind of kid."

Gardenhire's hope was that it was not a ligament injury. However, the shape Tolbert's thumb was in when he left for the MRI on Friday had the skipper thinking otherwise.

"I'm hoping it's jammed, but it didn't look good," Gardenhire said. "It's too bad. It's unfortunate."

To replace Tolbert on the 25-man roster, the Twins selected the contract of infielder Howie Clark from Triple-A Rochester. Clark was batting .286 with seven doubles and 21 RBIs in 37 games for the Red Wings this season.

Exactly how much time Tolbert could miss with the injury is unclear. Michael Cuddyer dislocated his right index finger earlier this season and suffered a slight tear of a ligament in the finger when he dove head first into third base in a game against the Royals on April 4. Cuddyer missed a total of 17 games due to the injury.

The Twins are going to have Tolbert see a hand specialist when the team returns to Minnesota. Gardenhire said surgery to repair the torn ligament is a possibility, perhaps a likely one, but the team will wait and see what the doctors have to say.

"It's obviously going to be a little bit of time," Gardenhire said. "Whether they do any kind of procedure, let our doctors see him and go from there."

Tolbert seemed disappointed by the news and a little upset at himself for allowing it to happen.

"I know we're told not to dive into first," Tolbert said. "I wasn't thinking about it, I just did it. And afterward I was like, 'Man, why did I do that? But it's one of those things where it's the last play of the game and you're trying to make something happen. Now it's just about trying to get it better and get it healthy. That's all you can do."

Tolbert's injury is just the latest for a Twins infield that has seen its share. Nick Punto is currently on the 15-day DL with a strained left hamstring. Second baseman Brendan Harris continues to battle through some right hamstring soreness after missing a few games due to the injury. Shortstop Adam Everett also had a stint on the 15-day DL earlier this season due to a strained right shoulder, which he says is still not quite 100 percent.

The Twins also had a bit of a scare pregame on Friday with Joe Mauer. The catcher strained his neck slightly while taking early batting practice with the team. Mauer was unsure at first if he would be ready to play.

But after the training staff helped to work out the knot in his neck, Mauer took some swings in the batting cage and felt that he was good to play in the game.

Gardenhire joked about having to adapt with his lineup so many times in one day. However, the Rockies also had a late scratch.

Outfielder Matt Holiday was taken out of Colorado's lineup due to a stiff lower back and replaced by Ryan Spilborghs. Holliday is listed as day-to-day. And while it certainly appeared to help the Twins that the talented outfielder was out of the lineup, Gardenhire seemed disappointed by the news.

"I was hoping to get to see him play," Gardenhire said. "It's always fun to see new players. You saw how well they played last year, and I would like to see Holliday play."