Byron Buxton was placed on the injured list for the third time this season on Sunday due to a lingering right hip impingement.
As the Minnesota Twins continue their quest for the playoffs, they will be without Byron Buxton for the third time this season after the 32-year-old suffered a right hip impingement, leading to his placement on the 10-day injured list on Sunday.
Prior to re-aggravating the injury during the Twins' matchup against the Athletics on Aug. 25, Buxton hit a solid .254 while recording an .829 OPS and a .319 on-base percentage through 93 games of action. Moreover, he has knocked in 46 RBI and led Minnesota's lineup with 25 home runs.
Buxton was sidelined for the first time just before the MLB All-Star Game on July 14 which he would sit out of despite receiving sufficient votes from fans to join AL manager John Schneider's roster.
Furthermore, Buxton missed additional time after exiting Minnesota's July 28 showdown against the AL Central rival Kansas City Royals upon the end of the fourth inning.
In the meantime, outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez will man center field following his callup from Triple-A St. Paul while sharing some of the reps with rookie Walker Jenkins who made his major-league debut on Friday against the Chicago White Sox.
The Twins could also give Luke Keaschall a look for the position to evenly distribute the workload as the 24-year-old second baseman has shown an ability to hold the fort when he took over for Buxton on July 8 during the team's series versus the Cleveland Guardians.
Still, Buxton's presence in the batter's box will be sorely missed as he propelled Minnesota to a 9-6 win over the Athletics on Aug. 24 with his 3-for-5 performance at the plate that saw him score four runs on the night.
Buxton was also instrumental in Minnesota's sweep over the Atlanta Braves in front of the Target Field faithful, scoring a run in all three matchups.
With the Twins taking three-straight series losses, the team establishing an offensive rhythm without their star center fielder will be key as they are four games out of the final AL Wild Card spot while ranking third in the division with a 65-72 overall record.
Fortunately, Keaschall has stepped up into one of Minnesota's top contributors, hitting a team-best .274 while logging a .361 on-base percentage. Veteran Josh Bell has delivered as well with 121 hits and 81 RBI.
The Twins will look to stay afloat tonight at 7:40 p.m. EDT as they open a three-game series against the division foe Detroit Tigers.
