by By Kelsie Smith ksmith@pioneerpress.com , St. Paul Pioneer Press

Crede, 31, has had two surgeries on his lower back. Continued problems with his back put him on the disabled list Aug. 22. Though the team activated him on Tuesday, Crede isn't ready to return to the starting lineup. Manager Ron Gardenhire said he'll use Crede as a DH and pinch hitter until, or perhaps if, Crede tells him he's ready for more.

The Twins signed Crede to a one-year contract and built in bonuses for plate appearances to protect themselves if his back problems continued. Injuries have been a problem for Crede, although few of his issues were back-related.

Crede has had just one DL stint this year, but he has played in 10 consecutive games or more only three times. His 362 plate appearances have earned him $1.5 million in bonuses on top of his $2.5 million base salary, and his next $500,000 bonus would kick in if he reaches 400 plate appearances.

"There was a time when he was feeling good and swinging really good and putting some really good swings on the ball," Gardenhire said of Crede, who has batted .229 with 15 home runs this season. "His outs were hard and his defense was unbelievable, just exactly what we envisioned. We'd have loved to have him play 130, 140 games and seen what happened with his numbers, but it just didn't happen."

Perkins upset: The Twins haven't been pleased with how Glen Perkins has handled his injuries this season, and now the left-hander isn't pleased with how the team is handling him.

A person with direct knowledge of the situation said the players union is looking into a claim by Perkins and his agent, John Courtright, that the Twins sent Perkins to the minors once they activated him from the DL Aug. 31 to hinder him from reaching Super 2 status and achieving arbitration rights this offseason.

Perkins and Twins GM Bill Smith declined comment.

Players can reach Super 2 status if they have more than two years, 86 days but less than three years of service time, and if their service time ranks in the top 17 percent among that group. Usually that takes two years and a total of days in the high 140s.

The Twins faced a similar issue last season with Francisco Liriano. Liriano was dominating in Class AAA when he and his agent alleged the team was holding Liriano in the minors to keep him from reaching Super 2 status as well. The union looked into that claim but never filed a grievance.

Liriano's case seemed stronger than Perkins' on its face, considering many of Perkins' setbacks this season have been self-induced.

A few times, Perkins brought up an injury to the team at a questionable time, including twice immediately after poor starts. His most recent stay on the DL came after he and his agent requested a magnetic resonance imaging exam. When that MRI turned up nothing, the team put Perkins on the DL because of shoulder tendinitis.

He went to Florida to rehab, where Gardenhire said Perkins reported no pain or discomfort. But after the team reinstated the left-hander from the DL and optioned him to Rochester, Perkins again requested an MRI, this time one enhanced by dye. That test also found no issues, but the shot required a few days to heal before Perkins could pitch.

After Rochester's season ended Monday, right-hander Armando Gabino was the only pitcher called up by the Twins .

If Perkins had spent all of 2009 on the major league roster, he would have had two years, 155 days of service. By coming off the DL and going to the minors, Perkins' service time is at two years, 121 days.

Briefly: Pitching matchups for this weekend's series at the Metrodome against Oakland: tonight, RHP Nick Blackburn (9-10, 4.16 ERA) vs. RHP Clayton Mortensen (0-2, 9.82 ERA); Saturday, RHP Jeff Manship (0-0, 4.41 ERA) vs. LHP Brett Anderson (8-10, 4.45 ERA); Sunday, LHP Brian Duensing (2-1, 3.94 ERA) vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez (5-5, 5.76 ERA).

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