Rocco Baldelli hints at potential IL stint for Byron Buxton after hip injury

So far this season the Minnesota Twins have avoided losing Byron Buxton to some sort of major injury. It's truly miraculous given how the team has been eaten alive by the injury bug, but their luck might be running out.

Buxton hasn't suffered anything siginificant, but there's a chance he might need to spend some time on the IL. He left Monday's win over the Royals in the fifth inning; he struck out at the plate but stayed in the dugout after the half-inning was over.

Minnesota held him out of the lineup for the next two games, and an MRI came back clean on what was diagnosed as hip discomfort. It's the sort of vague injury designation that has plagued the Twins all season at various other places of the roster but now the bottle has stopped spinning and it's pointing at Buxton.

Twins might place Byron Buxton on IL despite MRI coming back 'clean'

After Wednesday's loss, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli addressed Buxton's availability and didn't sound too happy about what the options were. While he didn't declare that a decision had been made, he strongly hinted that the team might have to place Buxton on the 10-day IL to ensure he has the proper time to rest.

"We're just going to make a decision as to whether or not he'll be back in a couple days or if he needs to go on the 10-day IL. That would be the alternative. So we just need to make a call on that," Baldelli said.

The Twins are already shorthanded thanks to a slew of other injuries the team is dealing with. Carlos Correa remains out with a foot injury, Joe Ryan is seeking a second opinion on his Grade 2 teres strain, and Brooks Lee was placed on the IL last week. Brock Stewart's season is already over and Justin Topa was pulled off his rehab assignment after suffering a setback.

Important Twins players are dropping like flies, and losing Buxton would be another big blow to a team trying to stay in the AL Central race for first place. Minnesota is just 3.5 games behind Cleveland and looking to close the gap as much as possible ahead of a mid-September series that's looking like it'll be for all the division marbles.

The good news is that outwardly none of the injuries are serious, aside from the one Ryan is dealing with. Everyone should be back in time for that Cleveland series, and hopefully plenty of games before. Minnesota has an upcoming series against Texas that Buxton is not expected to be available for, though, which seems to indicate he'll be the latest star player to be taken off the board and placed on the IL thanks to an injury.

More Minnesota Twins news and rumors