WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Byron Buxton exited Tuesday night’s Minnesota Twins-Athletics game with an undisclosed injury in the seventh inning.
Buxton, who twice already this season has landed on the injured list with right hip soreness, couldn’t track down Henry Bolte’s extra-base hit to the gap and immediately slowed down after the ball went under his glove.
Twins manager Derek Shelton and an athletic trainer quickly tended to Buxton, who walked off the field under his own power after a brief delay.
Though he didn’t go on the injured list until July, Buxton’s hip injury has bothered him since mid-May. He missed the All-Star Game and the start of the second half to get healthy, returning to action July 20.
But only eight days later, Buxton was removed from a contest and eventually placed on the IL once again, missing 14 games after receiving a shot in his hip.
Entering Tuesday’s game, Buxton was hitting .180/.286/.213 in 17 second-half games with only two extra-base hits in 70 plate appearances. He hasn’t homered since June 22, a span of 104 plate appearances.
Losing Buxton again with only 29 games remaining would be worrisome for the Twins, who are hanging on the edge of the American League wild-card race. The Twins began Tuesday two games back of the final wild-card spot.
If Buxton needed another IL stint, the Twins could turn to top prospect Walker Jenkins, whom The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked the No. 16 prospect in baseball in May.
Finally displaying the power the Twins hoped to see, Jenkins has homered seven times in August, including three multihomer games. After going 1-for-4 with a walk Tuesday, Jenkins is batting .406/.488/.768 with 13 RBIs, 11 walks and 13 strikeouts.
This story will be updated.
