OAKLAND -- Outfielder Danny Santana was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain sustained in the Twins' 3-2 loss to the Athletics on Monday afternoon. In the corresponding roster move, Byron Buxton was recalled from Triple-A Rochester and is expected to join the team in time for Tuesday night's game.
Santana first felt the hamstring tighten up when going from first to third on an Eduardo Nunez single in the fifth inning but initially stayed in the game. He was later removed in the top of the seventh inning for pinch-runner Trevor Plouffe after moving up to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Nunez.
"It [stinks]," Santana said through interpreter Carlos Font. "You never want this to happen -- not to me, or to anyone, really."
This will mark Santana's second trip to the disabled list this season, as he already missed 14 games in April with the same injury. He finished the game 2-for-3 with two singles and a run scored. Left fielder Robbie Grossman moved to center in Santana's absence, with shortstop Eduardo Escobar finishing the game in left field.
Santana hit .268 with one home run, 10 RBIs and nine stolen bases since his return from the disabled list on April 25 as Minnesota's starting center fielder.
Meanwhile, Buxton, the Twins' Opening Day center fielder, has hit .336 with six home runs and 14 RBIs hitting leadoff for Triple-A Rochester, seemingly experiencing the improvement at the plate that the Twins were hoping to see when they optioned him to the Minors.
He had been hitting .156 with 24 strikeouts and just two walks in 17 Major League games before his demotion, but he should be Minnesota's primary center fielder upon his return.