Minnesota Twins all-star closer Joe Nathan has a torn ligament in his throwing elbow, the club said on Tuesday.

General manager Bill Smith said the plan is to shut Nathan down for two weeks, eliminate the soreness and build up the strength in his elbow before making any decisions about surgery.

Nathan may get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, the noted sports surgeon who operated on the pitcher's elbow last October to remove bone chips.

The 35-year-old Nathan hurt his ulnar collateral ligament. Injuries to that ligament have led to season-ending Tommy John surgery in other pitchers.

The right-handed pitcher flew back to Minneapolis on Sunday after feeling soreness in the elbow in Saturday's game against the Red Sox.

Nathan was 2-2 with a 2.10 ERA with a career-high 47 saves last year, striking out 89 in 70 innings. He has 247 saves in a career that began with the San Francisco Giants.