Twins outfielder Byron Buxton might be out of the lineup for a few days with a left hand contusion after he was hit by a pitch during Minnesota’s 3-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox Thursday at Target Field.
The team says X-rays on the young Twins outfielder were negative, but manager Paul Molitor thinks Buxton could “potentially” be out of the lineup three to five days.
Injury update: @OfficialBuck103 left the game with a left hand contusion. X-Rays were negative. He’s listed as day to day. #MNTwins
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 14, 2016
After getting hit by a pitch from White Sox starter Mat Latos, he stayed in the game and promptly stole second base. But Buxton was stranded there and later left the game.
“He took the full brunt of the pitch on the back of the hand,” Molitor told reporters following the game. “I have a feeling that grip’s going to be challenging for him. But [he ‘s] young, resilient. We’ll see how fast he can bounce back.”
Buxton is one of several Twins struggling early this year. He is hitting .167 with 13 strikeouts in 24 at-bats. The young center fielder has already dealt with injuries in each of the last two seasons.
“I got hit with the injury bug the last two years, so this is the last thing that I wanted to happen,” Buxton said. “When [a] guy’s pitching outside corner, he’s got a breaking ball out there, you’ve got to stay in there and stuff happens.”
He missed time last year with a sprained left thumb and in 2014 was out on separate occasions for a sprained left wrist and a concussion.
