Twins CF Byron Buxton's recovery "a little slower" than he expected
Buxton has yet to resume baseball activities, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale. The star center fielder has been on the injured list since July 29 after he aggravated his right hip impingement. He got an "unspecified injection" last week, Nightengale added.
“It’s a little slower than what I expected, but I’m starting to pick it up a little more, do a little more things as far as loading, isometrics and weight training stuff, lifting,” Buxton said. “All that’s going pretty well. Hopefully, relay that over to the field over a couple of days.”
Buxton originally suffered his hip injury in mid-May. He originally avoided an injured list stint but later landed on the IL before the All-Star break, which kept him from participating in the Midsummer Classic after being voted in as a starting outfielder.
The Twins reinstated Buxton from his first IL stint of the year on July 20. His hip clearly still bothered him upon returning, as he went just 4-for-25 across seven games before being removed from Minnesota's 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on July 28 with hip soreness. The next day, the Twins placed Buxton on the IL again.
Twins RHP Zebby Matthews dealing with right foot blister
After acquiring right-handed starting pitcher Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles ahead of last Monday's trade deadline, the Twins optioned right-handed starter Zebby Matthews to Triple-A St. Paul. Not long after, Twins right-handed starter Joe Ryan landed on the 15-day IL with a mild left glute strain, prompting Minnesota to recall Matthews.
Matthews started for Minnesota in the 8-6 win over the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday night. After he allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks over five innings (83 pitches), Matthews exited the game. He threw some warmup pitches before being visited by a trainer and ultimately leaving the game.
MLB.com's Zach Sweet reported that Matthews entered the game with the blister, which began to tear in the second inning and got worse as the game progressed.
“It ripped open pretty good again,” Matthews said. “Very frustrating to deal with. We keep covering it and it keeps ripping. We’ll see what we can do for the next start.”
It's great news that Matthews isn't dealing with a more serious injury. With Mike Paredes recently being placed on the 60-day IL, the Twins' rotation depth isn't great even after the acquisition of Kremer.
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