Byron Buxton leaves game early after getting hit in forearm by 96 mph pitch

The absolute last thing the Minnesota Twins need is to deal with more bad injury luck.

Minnesota began the second half of the season with both Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis on the IL, with Jose Miranda joining them alongside Kody Funderburk. Both Lewis and Miranda have already started rehab assignments in St. Paul, but the Twins are attempting to close the gap on Cleveland in the AL Central without three of their most important players.

Byron Buxton joining that group would be a nightmare scenario.

Twins fans were given a scare on Wednesday when Buxton exited the series finale against Philadelphia after getting hit on the forearm by a pitch. He stayed in the game but walked gingerly to first base without flexing his fist.

It was eeirly reminiscent of what happened to Correa back in June against the Diamondbacks, and it seems this might end up playing out the same way in terms of a disaster being avoided.

Latest Byron Buxton injury update after getting hit by a pitch vs. Phillies

Not long after Buxton exited the game, the Twins provided an update that seems to be positive. Early indications are that nothing serious happened and Buxton is dealing with a right forearm contusion rather than a broken bone.

That rush of air that just swept across the country was the collective sigh of relief from Twins fans.

Correa was hit on teh forearm in a game against the Diamondbacks and had a simliar reaction. He left that game while holding his arm up and slamming his helmet against the bench in the dugout. It turned out that things looked much worse than they were, as Correa boldly proclaimed he'd be in the lineup the next game -- something he delievered on.

Buxton's injury history is far more checkered than Correa's, but so far he's managed to avoid anything serious this season. Where he didn't play a single inning in the field last season, Buxton has been the team's everyday centerfielder and has seemingly gotten back to performing at an elite level.

Perhaps above all else, he's been healthy this year, with only minor bumps in the road along the way. This seems to be yet another one of those, although Twins fans can't be blamed for fearing the worst especially given how things have gone with injuries to star players lately.

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