Buxton (hip) could return by weekend; Ryan tosses on flat ground

MINNEAPOLIS -- Byron Buxton is nearing a return to active duty.

Buxton made a pair of significant steps toward a return to action on Monday, and the hope is he will be reinstated from the injured list by the end of the week. Prior to the Twins’ game against the Orioles, Buxton took on-field batting practice for the first time since he was placed on the injured list with a right hip impingement, and he also ran the bases for the first time since then.

If Buxton feels good when he comes to the park Tuesday, he likely will not have many more steps before being activated. Buxton is not expected to go on a Minor League rehab assignment.

"The plan is to see how he comes in tomorrow,” said general manager Jeremy Zoll. “We're just trying to get a sense of how he's recovering from all the activities, and then hopeful for activation within the next few days."

Buxton was not running at full speed on Monday, but he took turns around all three bases, testing out how he felt. He said he’s also done some work checking how he feels when he slows down or stops, which was one of the actions he found problematic when he first began dealing with the hip issue in May.

“It was good,” Buxton said. “Felt good. So we’ll see what they say.”

And throwing the BP session? That would be manager Derek Shelton, who said he hadn’t thrown BP in seven years.

Buxton went on the injured list in July, over the All-Star break, with the hope that he could miss a minimal number of games, knock out the injury, and play unencumbered for the rest of the season. However, he appeared in only seven games before experiencing a recurrence.

He went back on the IL, this time receiving an injection in the joint, and ceasing all baseball activity for more than a week. He and the club are hopeful that the longer IL stint will do the trick this time, and he’ll be able to play at full strength down the stretch.

That will require him feeling good again, and running is the biggest test in that regard. It will also entail Buxton throttling back his all-out style at times, something he said will be a challenge.

“That’ll probably be the hardest part for me,” he said, “other than figuring out the running part, is figuring out how to contain it. … It’s just keeping me on the field now. I’m getting back to feeling good so I want to stay on the field.”

Ryan throws

Right-hander Joe Ryan, who is on the injured list with a left glute strain, also took a step forward on Monday. Shelton said that Ryan played catch, throwing on flat ground.

“I had a brief but very good conversation with him,” Shelton said. “I think we’re going to just have to see how it continues to progress. But the fact that he’s out there throwing is a very encouraging sign. It was flat ground, but he was still playing catch.”

Rodriguez activated

Outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, the Twins’ No. 3 prospect, is back with Triple-A St. Paul. Rodriguez had been on a rehab assignment at High-A Cedar Rapids as he returned from a thumb injury. That means, among other things, that Rodriguez will be available to play in the MiLB Field of Dreams game Tuesday, which precedes the Twins’ Thursday game at the famous movie site.