CHICAGO -- Twins center fielder Byron Buxton continues to hit without any issues as he works toward a return from a hairline fracture of his left big toe, but he took a break from running on Saturday and Sunday after testing it out on Friday.
Buxton took a normal round of batting practice with his teammates on Saturday and hit in the cages before Sunday's game. He's expected to try running again once the club gets to St. Louis for the two-game series against the Cardinals beginning Monday.
"I think everyone's looking forward to the day when you see his name back in the lineup," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "As always, you try to use the best judgment you can for the player and for the team."
The Twins are also still weighing whether Buxton will need a rehab assignment, but Buxton has said he'd prefer to skip it and return to the lineup without playing in any Minor League games. Buxton hasn't played with the Twins since April 12. He played one Minor League rehab game on April 23, when he suffered the toe injury when he fouled a ball off his foot. Buxton was originally on the 10-day disabled list with migraines suffered during the Puerto Rico Series on April 17.
Morrison practices playing left field
Twins designated hitter/first baseman Logan Morrison took some reps in left field to try to increase his versatility, especially with the chance for double switches in the upcoming Interleague series against the Cardinals. Morrison hasn't played in left since 2015, but with 241 career starts there, he has plenty of experience.
"[We are] trying to expand things we might have to consider along the way, depending on injuries," Molitor said. "It gives you another option to find out how much viability there is there. It's a long summer of baseball. People get hurt. Somedays you get a little short-handed and you're never sure. He actually came in and made the suggestion."
Molitor trying to find right spots for Hughes
Right-hander Phil Hughes made his first appearance of the season in relief on Saturday, giving up a solo homer to Tim Anderson in the ninth inning. Hughes showed better velocity in his short stint, averaging 92.5 mph on his fastball after averaging 90.5 mph in his two starts.
"It's trying to find the right spots," Molitor said. "Preferably, we'd like to do it in shorter stints where he can be real aggressive and try to let it go as much as he can. But unfortunately, there might be a day where I have to let him go longer -- it might just be how things go."