Twins reliever Joe Nathan pitched to catcher Joe Mauer during a live batting practice session on Wednesday morning. After the session, Nathan deemed himself close to returning to Minnesota. Nathan has been on the disabled list since May 23 with soreness in his right forearm, a condition related to his recovery from Tommy John surgery last year. The former closer said he will head to the Twin Cities on Thursday and be evaluated by team doctors before being cleared to rejoin the team. Mauer's timetable is much more unclear.