Twins place star CF Buxton on IL with left ribcage inflammation

MINNEAPOLIS -- The roster churn continues for the Twins, and it shows little sign of stopping before at least Thursday’s Trade Deadline.

Minnesota placed Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with left ribcage inflammation ahead of the Twins’ 8-5 loss to the Red Sox at Target Field, three days after he first felt discomfort in the area and was removed from a game.

The Twins had initially hoped that Buxton might avoid the IL, and there still seems to be a good chance that he will miss the minimum amount of time. But once they determined he would not be back within the next couple of days, Minnesota felt it had to make a move.

“Buck’s doing fine,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “It's just he’s not going to be ready in the next day or two. And that’s really all it boils down to. He’s hopefully going to be ready close to the time when the IL [stint ends]. We never say anything definitively, but we think there’s a reasonable chance he’ll be ready sooner than later.”

Just a couple of hours after the Buxton move, Carlos Correa was removed from the Twins’ game against the Red Sox due to a migraine. Correa will likely sit out Wednesday’s series finale against Boston, and the Twins are off Thursday.

“[It] wasn’t something that totally took him off his feet initially, but something that didn’t go away as the game went on,” Baldelli said. “At that point, if it’s not going to resolve itself, we kind of looked into it more, had him looked at. [We] had to get him out of the game.”

On top of that, the Twins activated Ryan Jeffers from the paternity list and selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Pierson Ohl from Triple-A St. Paul pregame, naming Ohl Tuesday’s starting pitcher. The rookie was tagged for four runs over three innings in the loss.

All of those moves followed Monday’s trade of Chris Paddack, and will likely precede additional trades before the Deadline. Minnesota is also expected to activate Bailey Ober from the injured list for a start over the weekend in Cleveland. It’s a chaotic time around baseball, and there are few places where that is truer than inside the Twins’ clubhouse.

“It's impossible not to [think about],” said reliever Danny Coulombe, seemingly one of the team’s more likely trade candidates. “Your life gets flipped upside down. You're with a different team, new city, new teammates -- not to mention all the logistical parts for wives and families. It's definitely unsettling, but ultimately my wife is a rock star. I always joke that she has a masters in logistics. We'll figure it out. We'll make it work. If something does happen, we'll make it work. If not, I'll be a Minnesota Twin. That's a good thing.”

As for Tuesday’s pregame moves, officially, Jeffers takes Buxton’s roster spot. Jeffers was activated from the paternity list after he missed the past three days. His wife, Lexi, gave birth to the couple’s second child Tuesday night. Mickey Gasper, who had been added to the roster to cover for Jeffers’ absence, remains with the Twins rather than being sent back down with Jeffers’ activation.

And all of this takes place in the context of the approaching Trade Deadline, set for Thursday at 5 p.m. CT. Minnesota has five impending free agents, all of whom could be dealt: utility man Willi Castro, Harrison Bader, Coulombe, first baseman Ty France, and catcher Christian Vázquez.

Teams are also calling about players with more team control, most notably relievers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax and starter Joe Ryan, but it’s difficult to see Ryan being moved and the asking price on Duran and Jax will likely be very high.

For the entire clubhouse, however, it’s a time of unease.

“It's just part of baseball,” said Castro. “The Trade Deadline goes for weeks. It's not going to take me by surprise because I'm already prepared. I wish I could stay here. Whatever happens, happens. I'll be prepared for anything.”