Aug. 18—Byron Buxton and the Twins are heading east. No, the outfielder won’t be joining the team when it travels to New York, but he will be headed across the Mississippi River.
While the Twins are kicking off a series against Yankee Stadium on Thursday night, Buxton will join the Saints and participate in live batting practice. After that, there’s a chance he participates in another round of live BP — although that’s not definite — before the Twins determine his next step.
“We will get together and decide if the time is right at that point to go play and get some at-bats,” manager Rocco Baldelli said before Wednesday’s series final against Cleveland at Target Field. “At this point, I’m not going to set any hard dates on that, but we’re going to get through the live BP session, see how the hand is feeling when swinging against some actual higher-level type pitching, and then go from there.”
Buxton has been on the injured list with a fractured left hand since getting hit by a Tyler Mahle pitch on July 21. That came just three days after he returned from a lengthy injured list stint after straining his hip.
Baldelli said Buxton is moving around great and has taken care of all of his responsibilities, but they just need to make sure that all of the strength in his left hand has returned and that there is no lingering soreness.
“His rehab period of time, he’s done everything that he can possibly do,” Baldelli said. “The bone has probably healed slightly slower than maybe we were thinking originally. There’s no way to know these things, though. We just have to wait, see how his body responds and watch it play out.”
COVID CONCERNS
The Twins have two more staff members “out with COVID-related issues,” Baldelli said. The club has yet to talk to them about permission to release their names, the manager added.
That news comes after the Twins announced that hitting coach Edgar Varela had tested positive for COVID-19, as has first base coach Tommy Watkins. The Twins have said Varela contracted COVID-19 while away from the team caring for family.
“We’re hoping in every way and also doing our best as a staff to make sure that we keep it localized,” Baldelli said. “There’s no way to know. There’s no way to feel confident, I think, about anything related to COVID, but we’re going to do everything that we can to make sure that we keep this at the level that it’s at.”
This is the second time COVID-19 has entered the Twins’ environment this season. Earlier, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, outfielders Max Kepler and Kyle Garlick and an unnamed staff member tested positive for the virus.
“It’s challenging mentally for some people to know that you could potentially be surrounded by the virus,” Baldelli said. “It’s not a situation anybody, any team, any person wants to be in, but we’re doing our best right now and we’re working through it.”
ROTATION SHUFFLE
The Twins have shuffled their rotation to allow some extra rest for Kenta Maeda. While they have not announced a starter for Thursday, they plan on going with a bullpen game instead of Maeda on regular rest.
Charlie Barnes will follow on Friday in New York, followed by Maeda on Saturday and Griffin Jax in the series finale. After throwing 66 2/3 innings in last year’s truncated season, Maeda has recently crossed the 100 innings pitched threshold.
“We’re going to take every opportunity we can to get our guys extra days,” Baldelli said. “Really, that’s what it comes down to. I don’t think we need to sidestep that discussion. … It’s a hope that we keep these guys strong and going, and I do think there is some benefit there as we get into September and keep playing.”