Twins uncertain Buxton will hit again this season

MINNEAPOLIS -- Byron Buxton is headed to California to see a specialist regarding the condition of his left shoulder, after which the Twins hope to have a more meaningful update on their center fielder's outlook for the rest of the season.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said that Buxton's visit to the doctor for an opinion on his left shoulder subluxation (partial dislocation) had been planned long in advance and that it is an update the club has "been waiting for in a lot of different ways."

Though Buxton was activated from the 10-day injured list on Sept. 1 and has appeared in five games as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement since he was activated, he hasn't been available to hit. Furthermore, Baldelli could not make a commitment as to whether Buxton would hit again before the end of the regular season, though the Twins should know more after this visit.

"I don't really think anybody can say for sure, or with any confidence, 'yes' or 'no,'" Baldelli said. "And that's why we're trying to seek out as many opinions as we can, and not wait until the season ends to do that. Doing it now and allowing us to react from there, I think, makes a lot of sense."

Buxton missed 27 games after he went on the IL for the injury, which was sustained during an Aug. 1 game in Miami when he collided with the wall in right-center field while attempting to make a play on a deep fly ball.

Buxton's injury has been one part of a significant thinning of the Twins' outfield depth over the last several days, as Marwin Gonzalez (abdominal/oblique strain) and Jake Cave (pulled left groin) are also both out of action due to injury.

In an effort to bolster the outfield, the Twins acquired outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the Braves for cash considerations on Thursday and added him to the 40-man roster to make him eligible for Sunday's game against the Indians at Target Field. LaMarre took the 40-man spot of Michael Pineda, who was issued a 60-game suspension on Saturday after testing positive for a banned diuretic substance.

Baldelli said that the move to bring in LaMarre had less to do with the severity of any specific injury among his outfielders on the roster and more to provide additional depth where needed. LaMarre is not eligible for the postseason because he was not in the Twins' organization on Sept. 1.

"It’s basically a big-picture move," Baldelli said. "It has more to do with how we look around the roster and have some guys that are banged up, and we even have some guys that are playing right now that are also banged up. So, just making sure that we’re covered. We’re in September. There doesn’t seem any reason not to acquire Ryan and bring him in."

LaMarre made his first Opening Day roster with Minnesota last season and hit .279/.322/.382 with two homers and 11 doubles in 76 games for the Twins and White Sox. He hit .311/.380/.477 with nine homers and 19 stolen bases for Triple-A Gwinnett this year in the Braves' organization.

The 30-year-old outfielder said that when Gwinnett manager Damon Berryhill called him into the office following a loss to eliminate the club from the Triple-A playoffs, he initially thought it was a joke when he was informed that he was traded to Minnesota because he spent last season with the Twins and has a Minnesotan wife.

But once the reality of the situation sank in, LaMarre was eager to get back to the Major Leagues and contribute to the Twins, however he might be needed, through the end of the regular season.

"You hope your hard work pays off, and when [Berryhill] called me in, I kind of thought there was an outside chance that Atlanta had decided to do it, but when he said Minnesota, like I said, I was just super excited," LaMarre said. "The familiar faces here, the way they've been playing, the atmosphere around this place, it just seems like a great place to be."