SARASOTA, Fla. — Byron Buxton tried to get back in uniform on Thursday, but when he arrived in the Twins' clubhouse, the training staff sent him home.
"Sounds like the flu, with the symptoms he described," manager Paul Molitor said of his rookie center fielder. Molitor called Buxton this morning to check on him, and "he came in, but they got him out rather quickly," Molitor said, to avoid allowing his illness to spread.
Molitor is optimistic that Buxton could return tomorrow and perhaps play again by Saturday, but "I'll have to consult my medical book," he joked. It's costing Buxton at-bats and playing time, but will play no role, the manager said, in any decision about whether he ultimately makes the team at the end of the month.
With Buxton out, Max Kepler will start in center field, batting seventh. And Class A outfielder Edgar Corcino, who spent last season at Cedar Rapids, was brought along to get some late-inning action.
Taylor Rogers gets his first start in a Twins uniform today, and while it's just a Grapefruit League game and he's only scheduled to pitch two innings, the left-hander admitted he's excited to have the opportunity.
Here are the lineups for the final night game of the Twins' Florida schedule:
TWINS
Polanco 2B
Nunez SS
Sano RF
Quentin DH
Rosario LF
Park 1B
Kepler CF
Murphy C
Tovar 3B
Rogers LHP
ORIOLES
Machado 3B
Jones CF
Davis 1B
Trumbo RF
Alvarez DH
Hardy SS
Schoop 2B
Kim LF
Joseph C
Wright RHP