Notes: Twins' rotation in flux; Buxton; Pineda

Before the Twins could open a three-game series at Progressive Field against the Indians, they had to make a detour to Anaheim for a doubleheader against the Angels. With both a twin bill and injuries to the starting rotation, Minnesota hasn’t yet decided who will be its starters for the weekend series.

“We haven't released it yet and we're going to give it probably until the end of the day before we make any announcements,” manager Rocco Baldelli said before Thursday’s doubleheader. “Friday's game is really the one where we have a TBA in our minds and still have a decision to make before we go in that direction, really for a final decision.”

Right-hander Kenta Maeda has been dealing with groin tightness lately, but Baldelli added that Maeda could possibly start Saturday. Maeda, along with starter J.A. Happ and other players on the injured list, did not travel with the team to Anaheim. Rather, they stayed in Minnesota with strength coaches and one of the team’s trainers so as to not endure the quick turnaround trip.

“This is an unusual trip. We were kind of working through the traveling aspect of it and I just think it made sense to leave those guys back. That’s where we’re at right now,” Baldelli said. “I don't like leaving anybody back or anything like that if we don’t have to, but it definitely made sense. This is two games in one day. And then traveling back and getting in at probably 5 a.m. is not something that our guys need to do if they’re not going to be able to take part in anything.”

The Twins and Angels are making up for the two games that were postponed in the middle of April after a COVID-19 breakout within the Twins' clubhouse.

Buxton running again

Byron Buxton has started light running activity, having been sidelined since the first week of May with a Grade 2 right hip strain.

Buxton still needs to check things off in his rehabilitation before he can start sprinting. The Twins aren’t pressuring their star outfielder to bounce back quickly, even if they miss his presence in the outfield and lineup.

“I’ve been adamant -- there are guys that can come back and play this game and they don’t necessarily have to go out there and be tearing it up out there on the field,” Baldelli said. “But Byron Buxton plays a different kind of ballgame when he’s taking the field.”

“He needs to be himself. He needs to patrol center field, he needs to be able to go steal a base and do things like that. So with a guy like that and a muscle injury, he’s a guy that you really have to be sure that he’s ready to go when he comes back,” Baldelli said. “I don’t think it’s fair to him to ask him to go play at half speed or in a place where he may reinjure himself.”

Pineda's timeline

Right-handed starter Michael Pineda was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday after he underwent a procedure to remove an abscess. Pineda has already started to play catch, according to Baldelli, and he should be able to return to the rotation as soon as he’s eligible to be activated from the injured list.

“We need to make sure he's had some time to heal before he starts moving around and really ramping things up. He's doing a lot better,” Baldelli said. “But he was very understanding and almost welcoming for the extra days that the IL stint will bring him, and I think he'll be ready to go after that.”