Minnesota star Byron Buxton, 30, will be sidelined.
Buxton was placed on the 10-day disabled list (IL) today with a right hamstring strain (back of thigh muscle), according to MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball (MLB). The IL stint will be retroactive to March 3. MLB.com notes, “Buxton spent time on the IL in May with a left rib contusion. In late July, he missed a few games on paternity leave,” highlighting his frequent departures. Buxton was a former first-round draft pick (No. 2 overall) in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, earning a $6 million contract.
Prior to his hamstring injury, Buxton appeared in 85 games, batting .207 (63-for-304) with 17 home runs and 42 RBIs. His on-base percentage (.294) and slugging percentage (.438) combined for an OPS of .731. Despite the significant drop in productivity at the plate, he was tied for first on the team in home runs with Joey Gallo and second in RBIs behind Carlos Correa.온라인바카
Minnesota currently sits in first place in the American League (AL) Central (56 wins, 54 losses) and has high hopes heading into fall baseball. However, they are 2.5 games behind the second-place Cleveland Cavaliers (53 wins, 56 losses), so there is no peace of mind. The loss of Buxton adds to a long list of injuries to the lineup, including Alex Kirillov (.270 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs in 69 games) and Royce Lewis (.326 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 26 games).
Minnesota first claimed outfielder/first baseman Jordan Luplow off waivers to fill Buxton’s void. Luplow had been designated for assignment (DFA) by the Toronto Blue Jays the previous day, putting a question mark over his future. His career (7 years) big league numbers are .213 with 45 home runs and 121 RBIs. This season, he appeared in seven games for Toronto, batting .214 (3-for-14). Despite his lack of accuracy, he has hit double-digit home runs in 2019 (15), 2021 (11), and last year (11).