Byron Buxton's first major league stint has been put on hold today as the Minnesota Twins have announced that he has been placed on the disabled list with a sprained left thumb. Buxton suffered the injury on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox when he slid into second on a stolen base attempt, but he tried to play through it on Wednesday, but went 0-for-4.
To take his roster spot, the Twins have recalled Danny Santana from Triple-A Rochester. It looks very likely that Santana will shift to the outfield, where he played last season. The Twins don't have very many options, as they released opening day starter Jordan Schafer, and Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia are both on the disabled list.
Buxton, in his short major league debut, hit .189 with a .501 OPS and 15 strikeouts in only 11 games. Before this stint in the majors, he had batted .283 with a .840 OPS in 59 games with Double-A Chattanouga.
Manager Paul Molitor reportedly said that Buxton could miss up to one month, according to Dana Wessel of 96.3 FM.
"(Buxton) is going to have to back off a while, probably at least a month" - Molitor to me just now. Interview shortly on @Go963MN website.
— Dana Wessel (@DanaWessel) June 26, 2015
This is a big blow for the Twins, who are short on outfielders, but may be a blessing in disguise for Buxton, who had been struggling in the major leagues. The trip to the DL will allow him to rest and regroup before coming back sometime after the All-Star Break, if the one month timetable is correct. The Twins as a team have been struggling in the month of June, and were hoping that calling up Buxton would spark the team back to their winning ways of May.