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Buxton's MRI shows aggravation of old wrist injury

MINNEAPOLIS -- Top prospect Byron Buxton had an MRI exam on his left wrist in the Twin Cities on Tuesday, and the exam showed he aggravated his original wrist injury from Spring Training.

Buxton, ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect by MLB.com, originally sprained the pisotriquetral joint in his wrist while diving for a fly ball in center field during a Minor League Spring Training game on March 16.

He re-injured it on Thursday while sliding into a base in his fifth game of the year at Class A Advanced Fort Myers. He was placed on the 7-day Minor League disabled list on Sunday as a result.

Buxton flew to Minnesota to have his wrist examined by team doctors and hand specialist Dr. Thomas Varecka on Tuesday, and will head back to Fort Myers, Fla., to work out at extended spring training, but the Twins don't have a timetable for his return to game action yet.

"It was an aggravation of his injury, but it's not any worse, just aggravated," Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said. "He'll head back down to Fort Myers and work out at extended until it feels better basically."

Buxton returned to action in extended Spring Training on April 26 before being activated from the Minor League disabled list at Class A Advanced Fort Myers on May 4. He hit .150 (3-for-20) with a double, a homer and two RBIs in five games before suffering the injury on Thursday.

The Twins are hopeful the injury won't keep him out as long as last time, but it's still too early to tell, according to Antony.

"We hope not and [the doctors] don't think so, but you never know," Antony said. "We can't rule anything out. They don't believe so, but whenever you have a situation like this with hands or wrists, it just depends on the individual."

Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Bollinger Beat, and follow him on Twitter @RhettBollinger.
Read More: Minnesota Twins, Byron Buxton