MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins received good news regarding Byron Buxton on Sunday afternoon following the star center fielder’s MRI exam earlier in the day.
Buxton, who experienced left side soreness on Saturday and was removed from the game that night, has been diagnosed with cartilage irritation and is day to day. For the time being at least, he is not going on the injured list.
“He’s going to be day to day right now with cartilage irritation in his rib,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “It’s a good outcome. We’ll see how he is tomorrow and so on, but to be day to day with what he left the game with, it’s a good thing. We’ll measure him out, get him looked at by the trainers each day, get him a lot of treatment and hopefully he’ll be back very soon.”
Harrison Bader got the start in center field Sunday and would likely serve as the primary center fielder if Buxton has to miss any extended period of time.
Buxton, who has been the Twins’ best offensive player this year, has an extensive injury history, but has mostly stayed healthy aside from a stint on the concussion injured list following a collision with Carlos Correa in May. He has a .282/.343/.561 slash line, 23 homers and 17 steals. And his 364 plate appearances are the second highest total of his career. Buxton made his second career All-Star Game appearance earlier this month.
Ober is big league bound
The Twins have not announced any starting pitchers beyond Tuesday’s game, but it does appear that Bailey Ober will be rejoining the rotation soon. Following his Triple-A rehabilitation start on Friday, Ober expressed optimism that he was ready to face Major League hitters, and it seems the club agrees with that assessment.
It’s unclear whether Ober would start the homestand finale against Boston or wait until the team’s upcoming road trip, but the expectation is that he will not make another Minor League rehab appearance. Ober has not started a Major League game since June 28, after which he was placed on the injured list due to a left hip impingement.
Ryan wants to stay
Following Saturday night’s loss to the Nationals, Joe Ryan was asked about the possibility that it could have been his last start with the Twins. Ryan is under team control for three more years, and the club would have to be absolutely overwhelmed with an offer to move their star right-hander. But as the Trade Deadline approaches, it’s hard to say anything definitively, so the question did come up.
And Ryan said he hopes to stay, and that’s what he expects as well.
“It’s so far out of my control,” he said. “We were talking about it the other day. I think if it’s a free agency thing and you’re making the decision yourself, I think there’s probably more pressure on those situations. Even then, you don’t really have as much control as people would probably think. So far as a trade goes, I don’t see it happening.
"At the same time, it’s completely out of my hands. So I really haven’t thought about it much. I think we have a good opportunity, years forward, to do something here, so I would like to stay. But like I said, it’s out of my control.”