Joe Mauer is downplaying concerns about his troublesome left knee heading into spring training. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire revealed Tuesday that the star catcher is taking shots in his knee to help lubricate the joint, which the catcher said was part of his recovery plan. Mauer had surgery after last season to alleviate swelling that had bothered him for much of the year. "It's more of a preventative thing, just to make sure I'm good to go for the season," Mauer said. "So it's really not that big of a deal, and I kind of wish it wasn't out there. But here we are."