CLEVELAND — Byron Buxton is again within the heart of issues for the Twins.
The speedy outfielder returned from the injured checklist and was in Minnesota’s lineup batting fifth in opposition to Cleveland on Saturday after being sidelined the previous two weeks with irritation in his proper knee.
Buxton completed 1-for-4 with an RBI single within the Twins’ 11-4 loss. He missed Minnesota’s 14 earlier video games.
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Buxton performed in back-to-back video games this week at Triple-A St. Paul with none issues, the ultimate step towards being cleared to rejoin the Twins. Buxton was positioned on the IL on Could 3, two days after his knee flared up in a sport in opposition to the White Sox.
Twins supervisor Rocco Baldelli stated the short-term plan was to have Buxton within the lineup in three video games in opposition to left-handed starters this week.
“We’ll run him on the market,” Baldelli stated earlier than Saturday’s sport. “As he comes again from this IL stint, he is not going to play a ton of video games in a row, however he’ll play quite a bit. He will play. He will play an entire bunch.”
Buxton, 30, has had surgical procedure on the knee in every of the previous two postseasons.
The Twins will intently monitor Buxton whereas giving him as a lot freedom as he wants. In spite of everything, he is aware of his limitations higher than anybody.
“I belief him. He is is aware of what he can do and what he cannot do in a selected scenario in any given sport,” Baldelli stated. “His decision-making and different individuals’s decision-making is just a little completely different. Different gamers, I inform them when to go and when to not go.
“There are occasions the place it’s important to go away it in Bux’s fingers the place he could make that call — to maintain himself on the market and hold himself feeling good.”
Buxton was batting .250 with 8 doubles, 1 homer and 11 RBIs in 28 video games earlier than he needed to shut down along with his knee bothering him.
To make room on the 26-man roster, the Twins optioned utility participant Austin Martin to St. Paul. Martin stole a base and scored after coming into as a pinch-runner within the eighth inning of Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Guardians.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
