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Twins injured list finally got Byron Buxton

paul hodowanic, pioneer press
·4 min read
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Avoid the injured list.

All year long that stood as a goal for Byron Buxton. For the better part of the five months, the star outfielder was able to dodge it despite lingering knee tendinitis that caused him to miss games at a time. Yet it never pushed Buxton to take a trip to the IL.

“In past years, the IL is what prevents me from playing a lot of games. So instead of being healthy, just try to avoid the IL,” Buxton said of his goals, speaking for the first time since heading to the 10-day injured list on Tuesday.

But that changed earlier this week when a low grade strain of his right hip forced the Twins’ hand. Still, Buxton said he tried to talk Rocco Baldelli into avoiding the injured list, “but in retrospect, I understand it wasn’t going to be something that was a couple days.”

“Just a sucky feeling for me,” he continued. “That was the goal for me, to not be on the IL this year. Unfortunately it happened.”

The focus now turns to treatment both for the ongoing knee issue as well as the hip injury, which he believes stems from “compensation” with the knee. He left the team after the injury on Monday to get treatment in Minneapolis and says it’s too early to know when he’ll be back. The pain he feels in the hip is in the same spot as last year, he revealed, when he missed six weeks with a hip strain. But he doesn’t believe it’s the same injury this time around.

“It’s in the same spot, but nothing feels the same. So I don’t think it’s anything to that measure,” he said.

Buxton called it a “tough situation,” but hopes he can be a positive influence in the clubhouse during his absence on the field. Buxton said he watched the team’s struggles in Houston.

“It didn’t look like we were smiling, being positive, having fun like we normally would. So that’s something I feel like I can bring back, turn it around, even if I’m not playing,” he said.

GARLICK RETURNS

After missing the Twins’ last 21 games with a right rib cage contusion, outfielder Kyle Garlick was activated Friday and returned to the lineup for the series opener against the San Francisco Giants. Baldelli doesn’t expect any lingering effects of the injury and said right now Garlick is “pain free.”

That’s good news for the Twins, who have missed Garlick’s bat in recent weeks, especially against left-handed pitching, which the Twins faced on Friday against Giants starter Alex Wood. As of Thursday, Garlick is batting .279 against left-handers this season. In his absence, the Twins hit just .217 in those situations.

“A lot of the games against left-handed pitching especially, where we’ve really broken things open and done a good job, when you think about it and go back and look he’s been right in the middle of everything almost in every one of those games,” Baldelli said.

Baldelli specifically referenced an April 30 win against the Tampa Bay Rays in which Garlick hit two home runs off left-handed starter Shane McClanahan along with an April win over Boston in which Garlick hit a two-run home run in the first inning off another left-hander.

Could Garlick’s addition alone help lift the team’s struggling offense?

“Almost never will quality offensive individuals go into an extended offensive break,” Baldelli said. “So I would expect the guys to snap out of it quickly either way, but adding Kyle Garlick especially with a left-hander on the mound today is definitely a good thing.”

To make room for Garlick on the roster, the team designated infielder Tim Beckham for release or assignment. Beckham played in 12 games after being called up on July 30, going 2-for-25 with one RBI and one run scored.

BRIEFLY

Tyler Mahle (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Friday as he continues to work his way back into the rotation. Baldelli expected him to throw anywhere between 15-20 pitches. Mahle left after 2 ⅓ innings during his last start against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 17.

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