Seventy-three games into this 162-game season, Byron Buxton has made only 28 appearances.
That number won't grow any time soon.
The Twins on Tuesday placed their star center fielder on the 10-day injured list, a place he returned from only four days ago. A right hip strain caused him to miss 40 games since May 6. Now he's facing being out for another four to six weeks because of a left hand fracture.
"He's beyond upset," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "The number of traumas, physically, that he's had to deal with, and because of that, emotionally when you have to deal with that many types of things, difficult things, it's hard on you. And we just want to be there to support him and help him get through this."
Baldelli said Buxton felt anger and disappointment after a pitch hit him on the back of his left hand and broke his pinkie finger Monday in a 7-5 victory over the Reds at Target Field, a common boxing injury usually incurred when throwing a punch. The Twins are still examining the injury, trying to decide if Buxton needs surgery or merely a cast to let it heal on its own.
Buxton was the American League player of the month in April and has a .369 batting average with 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 19 RBI and 21 runs this season. He's also a dominant outfielder, making diving catches or leaping at-the-wall grabs. Gilberto Celestino, who ascended from Class AA to the majors as an injury fill-in, again took Buxton's spot on the active roster and started Tuesday in center field in a 10-7 loss to Cincinnati.
This is the latest on Buxton's long list on injuries. Some setback seems to hinder him every season, from playing only 46 games in 2015 because of a sprained left thumb to only 28 in 2018 because of migraines, a fractured toe and a sprained wrist.
"He has had to deal with a lot, but he usually deals with it by continually moving forward. He doesn't really look back very often. He doesn't complain very often," Baldelli said. "… You're not going to get that time back. We know that. But what do you do next? He always puts himself in a position to come back in the best possible way and be ready to go."
Baldelli-Buxton bond
Baldelli can personally identify with Buxton's struggles. The manager was the No. 6 pick in the 2000 draft but retired by age 29 because of numerous injuries, including an ACL tear and Tommy John surgery as well as a rare disorder that made him susceptible to muscle injuries.
"In actuality, I was probably very depressed and probably was not quite acting in the way that I thought I was and didn't really know what to do at times," Baldelli recalled. "And probably a lot of the time just wanted to be left alone to deal with all of the struggles that I was dealing with. That was easier to just be left alone than it was to have to deal with them every day and have to discuss them every day."
Baldelli said eventually he forced himself into a distraction, like trying to teach himself how to play a bass guitar. He said Buxton's process might be a little different, since he is married with kids and can turn to them for support.
"Buck and I understand each other very well, I'd say. We know where each other is coming from," Baldelli said. "I have great respect for him, and I think it's mutual."
Burrows claimed
The Twins added another pitcher to the organization during Tuesday's game, claiming righthander Beau Burrows off waivers from the Tigers.
The 24-year-old pitched in six games in the past two seasons for Detroit, most recently June 12 against the White Sox when he gave up two hits, two walks and four runs in 1⅔ innings.
The Texas native was a first-round pick in the 2015 draft and will join Class AAA St. Paul in Columbus, Ohio, where the Saints began a six-game series Tuesday night.
