MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &045; After leading the league in ERA last year and bringing their top four starting pitchers back, the Minnesota Twins weren’t counting on Joe Mays for too much this season. Any contributions the recovering right-hander made were supposed to be a bonus.

That’s not the case now. With No. 3 starter Carlos Silva out for what could be several months because of a surprising injury to his right knee, Mays has been unexpectedly moved up in the

rotation.

He’ll take the mound on Tuesday night to face the Detroit Tigers, his first start since Aug. 29, 2003.

&uot;I’m trying not to get too overzealous,&uot; Mays said. &uot;My goal out of spring was to get in the rotation … it’s just a matter of getting the opportunity that I wanted and doing the best you can.&uot;

His story has been well told. After making the All-Star team and winning 17 games in 2001, Mays developed elbow problems the next year and hasn’t been the same since.

Removed from the rotation in the middle of the 2003 season, Mays mixed spot starts with mostly meaningless relief appearances that summer until deciding to shut his arm down and have ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow &045; the well-known Tommy John operation.

The two innings he pitched out of the bullpen in Friday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox was the first time he threw on a major league mound, excluding spring training, in nearly 20 months.

Mays, obviously, is eager to take the final step in this long rehabilitation.

&uot;As soon as I went out and threw my first bullpen, I knew I was ready to go,&uot; Mays said. &uot;I did everything I had to. Everything I needed to prepare myself … I went about my business, did what I needed to do and here we are.&uot;

The Twins initially believed Silva might be done for the year, or at least until after the All-Star break, as a result of a torn meniscus. Team physician Dr. John Steubs examined Silva during Sunday night’s game and suggested the injury might not be as serious as originally thought. Still, Silva will seek other opinions before any decision is made on surgery and he’s surely not going to be back right away.

That means the pressure is on Mays to pitch like the guy they gave a $20 million, four-year contract in January 2002. He’s making $7.25 million this season, the third-highest salary on the team.