In two appearances with the Twins, relief pitcher Sam Dyson did not lock down the late innings like he did for most of the season with San Francisco. Something had to be wrong.
And the Twins have found the problem.
The righthander was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday because of right biceps tendinitis. The Twins learned of the condition after his outing Friday, when he gave up four hits and three runs to the Royals. In two appearances since getting traded Tuesday, Dyson has given up six earned runs in two-thirds of an inning for an 81.00 ERA.
"It's something that he's probably been dealing with for a little bit," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "I think it was probably affecting him, although he's going to tell you he's good and he can pitch and he's ready to go."
Dyson underwent an magnetic resonance imaging exam, and the Twins are confident that the injury is not serious and he will need days and not weeks to recover. Dyson was willing to pitch through the discomfort, Baldelli said, but the club decided to give him time.
"He pitches through things, and he continued to tell us he was good to go," Baldelli said. "But we also knew that he was not 100%, and we want to make sure he is 100% for the stretch run and the rest of the season."
Dyson posted a 2.47 ERA in 51 innings with the Giants. Medical reports are exchanged between clubs before deals are consummated, but the Twins are not crying foul. There was some surprise when they learned he was battling soreness, but not enough to question the reports they received.
"He didn't have any open injuries, and from our medical review and otherwise, we felt good about where he was," Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey said. "This is something that has probably popped up for him more recently, and I'm not saying just the days he's been with us, but something that he had to work through. Now, our focus is just trying to get him as healthy as possible."
Lefthander Devin Smeltzer took Dyson's spot on the roster and started Sunday. That enabled the Twins to push the rest of the rotation back a day. Not only do they get an extra day of rest, it lined up All-Star righthander Jake Odorizzi to start against NL East-leading Atlanta on Monday.
Buxton update
Twins center fielder Byron Buxton will spend the next two weeks or so rehabilitating his left shoulder with hopes he can return soon after that.
"I can do a little bit of mobilization just to try to get it back stronger," he said. "Hopefully, my body keeps going the way it does and heals quickly. I could hopefully cut some time down and get back."
Buxton was injured Thursday when he crashed into the wall while chasing a drive by Harold Ramirez at Miami. Two days later, he was put on the injured list because of a left shoulder subluxation.
"When it happened, I kind of looked at [Max] Kepler and said, 'Something didn't feel right.' " Buxton said. "He was just, 'You OK?' It just stunned me a little bit. I thought I had a little bit more room, especially playing in that ballpark. You think it's big and you've got a little bit more. Got a little closer than I thought."
Buxton has missed 26 games over three stints on the IL this season.
Bell honored
Former Twins President Jerry Bell became the 33rd member of the Twins Hall of Fame when he was inducted during a pregame ceremony.
Bell spent 16 years (1987 to 2002) as the Twins' chief executive, and he was instrumental in the construction of the Twins' year-round headquarters in Fort Myers, Fla., as well as Target Field. Former Twins radio voice and fellow Twins Hall of Famer John Gordon introduced Bell.
"Thank you for this incredible honor," Bell said during his speech. "It's a long way from the bleachers of Metropolitan Stadium watching Rod [Carew] and Harmon [Killebrew] and Tony [Oliva] and others to being here today."
