CLEVELAND (AP) — Byron Buxton thought he would be back on the field when the Minnesota Twins returned from the All-Star break.
The All-Star outfielder is hoping the couple of extra days he took to recover from a right hip strain will benefit him for the rest of the season.
Buxton was activated from the 10-day injured list before Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. The Twins went 5-4 while he was sidelined.
“Those extra couple days didn’t hurt me to make sure I got everything right before we got here and started this big series. I think we are all in a good spot as far as going forward and everybody understanding what we got going on. So it’s going to be fun,” Buxton said.
Buxton is fourth in the AL and sixth in the majors with 25 home runs, including six leading off. He is batting .271 with 45 RBIs and seven stolen bases. The 32-year-old was named a starting outfielder for last week’s All-Star Game, but did not participate because of the injury.
Entering Monday, Buxton was 9 for 23 with two homers and four RBIs in his last five games at Cleveland’s Progressive Field.
“I think it’s just a maturation of him knowing his body, and then we just try to be smart. We don’t want to rush him back because with 62 games left or 60 games left or whatever we have, it’s an extended run,” manager Derek Shelton said. “So if we lose a game or two on the front side to gain it on the back side, then I’m all for that.”
The Twins optioned infielder Tristan Gray to Triple-A St. Paul to make room for Buxton.
___
AP MLB:
