Minnesota center fielder Byron Buxton sustained a boxer’s fracture of his left hand when he was hit by a pitch by Cincinnati’s Tyler Mahle in the fourth inning of the Twins’ 7-5 victory on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Buxton, who had just returned to the active roster on Saturday after missing 39 games with a right hip injury, stayed in the game for two more innings before leaving to get X-rays.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said he “wasn’t going to put a timeline” on how long Buxton, the American League’s Player of the Month in April, would be sidelined.
“He’s going to miss some time obviously,” Baldelli said. “I feel immensely for him and what he’s going through right now because this is every tough on anyone. No one should have to deal with what Buck is going through right now, and none of it is through any fault of his own. …
“He’s the most upstanding, hard-working, wonderful teammate and baseball player that you could find.”
Buxton is hitting .369 with 10 homers and 19 RBIs in 27 games this season.
–Field Level Media