Byron Buxton’s rise to the major leagues has hit its first speed bump as he’s been placed on the 15-day disabled list.
The speedy center fielder sprained his left thumb sliding head first into second base during an attempted steal in Tuesday’s game against the White Sox, the Star Tribune reports.
Twins place Byron Buxton on 15-day DL with a left thumb sprain. Suffered it on his stolen base attempt on Tuesday. Danny Santana recalled
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) June 26, 2015
Shortstop Danny Santana was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to replace Buxton the roster. Outfielder Aaron Hicks is also reportedly close to returning from a strained forearm.
To say injuries have plagued Buxton’s professional career might be a bit of an understatement. After being drafted No. 2 overall by the Twins in 2012, Buxton dominated for most of the 2013 season in the lower levels of the minors until a shoulder injury slowed his progress. Then, with high expectations in 2014, he missed significant time with a wrist injury; and just as he was hitting his stride, he suffered a concussion and missed the rest of the season.
MLB.com addressed Buxton’s injuries last year and concluded that he’s not injury prone, just unlucky. And as a 21-year-old, even if he were still playing at Double-A Chattanooga, he’d be three and a half years younger than the average player in the league.
No word on whether he’ll return to the Twins or report back to the minor leagues when he’s activated from the DL.
