MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins center fielder Byron Buxton left Thursday's 8-5 loss to the A's after slamming into the left-center field wall to make a catch to rob Matt Joyce of extra bases in the fifth inning.
The Twins announced that Buxton was removed for precautionary reasons. He passed initial concussion protocol and will be re-evaluated on Friday. He also ran hard into the wall trying to make a catch in the second inning on a deep drive from Stephen Vogt as well as getting turned around and making an awkward dive attempt on a double from Khris Davis in the first.
"He's banged up," manager Paul Molitor said. "The concussion protocol tests came back relatively clean, but we'll have to probably check again tomorrow. Three times today, he got banged pretty good. He was OK to continue and wanted to keep playing, but I just didn't think he was right."
With two runners on and two out in the fifth, Joyce hit a deep fly ball to left-center field that Buxton tracked down to make the play before colliding with the wall.
"I think the second one got him a little bit," Molitor said of the play. "It dazed him for a minute, but he was able to shake it off. But it's one of those things where you have to measure the risk of letting him continue to play."
With Buxton out, Eddie Rosario moved from left field to center to take his place, while Max Kepler entered the game in right with Danny Santana moving over from right to left field.