Nick Vincent wore No. 58 on Tuesday, which for the Twins is a number with a history. It once belonged to A.J. Achter, after all. Fernando Abad, too. And Justin Haley, Tim Melville and Gabriel Moya — all in one season.

And with no disrespect meant to a pitcher who has impressed the Twins staff, the odds say Vincent's career in Minnesota isn't likely to be much more impactful than those other entirely fungible bullpen arms. Vincent, 35 and a veteran of 405 games for five other MLB teams, is the latest participant — happily, no doubt, for the moment — in one of modern baseball's less-acknowledged evolutions: roster churn.

As pitchers throw harder, their workloads decrease. That means more pitchers are necessary to cover 162 games, so the last few roster spots belong to the most temporary of employees. When he enters a game, Vincent will become 29th player to throw a pitch for the Twins this season — one day after Edgar Garcia became the 28th, which sounds like a lot but is actually fewer (so far) than in any of the three previous full seasons. The Twins used a franchise-record 36 pitchers in 2017 and 2018.

Beau Burrows is part of that churn, too, though his season has been a particularly painful one. After throwing 64 pitches in two ugly innings Tuesday, Burrows and his 13.91 ERA returned to Class AAA St. Paul, the second time he's been optioned out by the Twins this season, and third time counting once with the Tigers.

"He found a way to get a few more outs for us, and I'm sure he'll learn something from this outing," Baldelli said of Burrows' seven-run whipsaw. "Not every day is going to be your day. I did tell him, 'There's no real consolation here.' "

Well, that's not entirely true. The major league minimum salary is roughly $3,000 per day during the season, while minor leaguers make about one-tenth as much. Every time the Twins swap bullpen pitchers with their Class AAA affiliate, someone's paycheck balloons, and someone's dwindles. At least with St. Paul right next door, players don't have to vacate apartments and fly to Rochester, N.Y., as they have in the past.

And those in the majors, if they find a hot streak or develop a particularly effective pitch, can find themselves with a seasonlong job.

Lefthander Danny Coulombe, for instance, after spending six years going up and down with the Dodgers and Athletics, has carved out a role in the Twins bullpen since arriving in late June. And righthander Juan Minaya, who in 2017 saved nine games in two months with the White Sox after they traded closer David Robertson, has impressed the Twins since joining the team just after the All-Star break.

"There's a reason those guys are still here. ... We thought they have real ability that we can work with and would like to use at some point," Baldelli said. "We've had some more opportunities to get those guys out there and they've stepped up. That's exactly the way you map it out."

Buxton and BP

Byron Buxton took batting practice for a third day in a row Tuesday and declared it "the normal routine now." Which is a little exciting, he admitted.

"It was, you know? Just to be out here on the field and see the progress … is a positive state of mind for me," said the center fielder, whose left hand was broken by a pitch on June 21. "Just going out there and getting the reps in and getting back stronger."

Buxton said he is more relaxed now, too, now that the trade deadline, which was rife with rumors about his contract talks and potential deals, has passed.

"It's [my] first time going through that type of process and hearing what could possibly happen," Buxton said. "The toughest part is not knowing. Once I figured out that I didn't go nowhere, that takes that thought off [and] you can relax and just keep doing what you're doing."

What he'll be doing soon: A rehab stint in St. Paul, which Buxton said he's resigned to serving before returning to the Twins. But no timetable has been set yet, though Buxton is to confer with orthopedic specialist Dr. Christopher Camp in the next day or two.

Etc.

• Josh Donaldson returned to the Twins lineup as the designated hitter, his first action since Friday. If his sore right hamstring keeps improving, Baldelli said, Donaldson could return to third base on Friday.
• Hitting coach Edgar Varela has left the team to attend to a family matter, Baldelli said, adding he will likely be absent for several days.