Sprained thumb lands Twins' Buxton on DL
Outfielder sustained injury on attempted steal; Minnesota recalls Santana
MILWAUKEE -- The Twins placed Byron Buxton, the second overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft and the No. 1 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com, on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a sprained left thumb. Manager Paul Molitor expects Buxton to miss four to six weeks.
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Buxton injured the thumb sliding headfirst into second base on a steal attempt against the White Sox on Tuesday. Head trainer Dave Pruemer mentioned to Molitor the next day that he thought Buxton had bruised the thumb.
After the game on Wednesday, Buxton made it known that is was a little worse than he thought, and the testing procedures began.
"The left hand is a huge part of the grip on your bat," Molitor said before Friday's game against the Brewers. "It's disappointing for him. We just told him, 'You've got to weather the storm with, like anything else, and hopefully, you come out better on the other end.'"
Buxton, 21, is batting .189 through his first 11 games in the Major Leagues. The youngster hit .296 with 205 runs during 263 games in the Minor Leagues.
Minnesota recalled infielder Danny Santana from Triple-A Rochester to fill Buxton's slot on the active roster. Santana could see time in the outfield at some point, according to Molitor.
"I sat down with him today and told him with the personnel we have and the people who are playing well, 'You've just go to be ready to play wherever I write you down,'" Molitor said. "I might have you [in center field] just to get you some at-bats."
Santana is fine with possibly playing in the outfield. He played in center field in a game with Triple-A Rochester and was out early before Friday's game working in the outfield.
Santana, who made Minnesota's Opening Day roster, was batting .308 with five RBIs in 15 games since being optioned to Rochester on June 7. Santana hit .319 last season for the Twins as a rookie, but he batted just .218 in 49 games this season before Minnesota sent him down to Rochester.