Minnesota Twins Shut Down Injured Star in Midst of Playoff Race

The Minnesota Twins, leading the American League Central by 2.5 games entering play on Saturday, will have to play the next few weeks without star Byron Buxton.

The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler said Friday that Buxton (hamstring) will be shut down for the next two weeks, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

ANALYSIS
Buxton was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday due to nagging tightness in his right hamstring that has since been diagnosed as a muscle strain. The team will see how he responds to the two-week shutdown period before attempting to map out a timetable for his return. Matt Wallner is serving as Minnesota's designated hitter Friday night against the Diamondbacks.

It continues a frustrating season - and a frustrating career - for Buxton, who has had all kinds of trouble staying healthy.

He's in his ninth year in the big leagues, all with the Twins, and has played more than 100 games just once. He also missed 21 games in the shortened COVID season.

He has played 85 this year so he's likely to the 100 game mark again this year, but the team has had to be conservative with him, electing to play him at designated hitter all season instead of playing him in the outfield.

He's hitting just .207 this year with 17 homers and 42 RBI.

When healthy, he's one of the most talented players in baseball and he made the All-Star team in 2022.

The Twins will host the Diamondbacks again on Saturday night.

First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.