Twins receive bad Byron Buxton concussion news
The bad news is that star center fielder Byron Buxton, who was hitting .282/.383/.667 with a 184 wRC+, four home runs, a triple and a double during Minnesota's winning streak before colliding with Carlos Correa in the Twins’ 4-0 win against the Orioles on Thursday, was placed on the 7-day concussion list Saturday, according to a social media post from the Minnesota Twins.
Correa was also placed on the 7-day concussion list on Friday as a result of his collision with Buxton. Both stars join slugger Matt Wallner and promising young prospect Luke Keaschall on the list of sidelined Twins.
The good news is that the Twins are finally promoting an outfielder who has been on a tear at the plate in the minors.
Outfielder Carson McCusker is set to make his major league debut
MLB's Matthew Leach reported that in response to Buxton’s concussion news, the Twins will promote outfielder Carson McCusker, who will join the team for Sunday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers.
McCusker, 26, has put up video game numbers for the Saints this year, slashing .350/.412/.650 with 10 home runs, 11 doubles and 36 RBI in 154 plate appearances.
McCusker's journey to the big leagues was anything but conventional. After the Brewers selected him out of junior college in the 26th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, McCusker played four years of baseball at Oklahoma State University and went undrafted after the 2021 season. He then played three years of independent ball before the Twins signed him to a minor league contract in 2023.
McCusker started 2023 in Single-A Fort Myers and finished the year in High-A Cedar Rapids. He spent last season in Double-A and Triple-A and has been in Triple-A for the entirety of this year.
Right-handed starting pitcher Zebby Matthews to make season debut Sunday
Matthews, who sports a 1.93 ERA with 38 strikeouts across 32 ⅔ innings with Triple-A St. Paul this season, will make his first major league start of the season on Sunday against the Brewers, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale. Matthews pitched 37 ⅔ innings with a 6.69 ERA for the Twins last year.
There is no reported news on whose roster spot Matthews will replace, but it will most likely be left-handed reliever Kody Funderburk, who was recalled as the 27th man for the Twins’ doubleheader against the Orioles on Wednesday and remained on the roster after right-handed starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson’s demotion.