Twins look for Buxton to get going at Triple-A

MINNEAPOLIS -- On Monday, the Twins reinstated outfielder Byron Buxton, their No. 1 prospect, from the 15-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester.

Buxton was placed on the DL on June 26 with a left thumb sprain, and he appeared with Rochester in three rehab games, batting .417 (5-for-12).

"The short amount of time that he had up here, we all saw and it was a struggle, so it isn't going to hurt him to have time at Triple-A is about what it came down to," general manager Terry Ryan said on Tuesday.

Over 11 games with Minnesota prior to his injury, Buxton hit .189 (7-for-37) with one double, one triple, two walks, a stolen base and five runs. Ryan said he hoped to see Buxton again as a September callup and that it was possible Buxton might be back before then.

"I thought long and hard about exactly how to handle the situation. He's a big piece to our future here, there's no doubt," Ryan said. "We skipped him over Triple-A. He's healthy now, so I optioned him and then we'll see how he does and responds here at Triple-A. We're going to get him settled in and let him go and compete."