MINNEAPOLIS -- Center fielder Byron Buxton sustained a left hand injury on a swing with Triple-A Rochester on Thursday night, but X-rays performed on Friday came back negative and an MRI exam revealed only inflammation. Buxton, however, was placed on the 7-day Minor League disabled list with a left wrist sprain on Saturday, when the results of the MRI exam were announced.
Buxton, whose season has been marred by a fractured left toe on April 23, continued his poor luck, leaving Rochester's game early with his hand injury Thursday night. The Twins were hopeful it wasn't serious or related to the hamate bone, and luckily for Buxton he didn't sustain any fractures.
"The MRI was good, thankfully," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Mild sprain of that wrist, which probably means tendon, I would imagine. You've got a lot of things going on in there -- hand bones, hamates -- there's no tear, just got a strain there that hopefully will recover quickly."
Molitor noted it's been a difficult year for Buxton, who experienced a breakout 2017 season that saw him lead the Twins in Wins Above Replacement and win both the Rawlings Platinum Gold Glove Award and the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award. Buxton has been on the DL with his toe injury twice this season, and he's hitting .156/.183/.200 with no homers in 28 games.
"It's when they keep coming, they get challenging," Molitor said. "Probably will have to get your mind around it. Can't feel sorry for yourself. If it is something you got to deal with, whether it is two days or five days or 10 days, just do the next thing that you need to do."