Twins reinstate Byron Buxton from injured list to start series vs. Yankees

NEW YORK (AP) —

Byron Buxton homered in his return from the 10-day injured list on Monday night against the New York Yankees after the All-Star center fielder missed 13 games with inflammation in his left rib cage.

Buxton was sidelined just before the Twins tore down their roster ahead of the trade deadline. He was batting .282 with 68 runs, 23 homers, 59 RBIs and a .905 OPS in 85 games when he went on the IL, all team-leading totals and averages among players with a qualifying amount of at-bats.

Buxton homered on a sweeper from Will Warren in the sixth inning of a 6-2 loss. He went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts.

“It’s good,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He took some good looking swings for the most part and connected on one of them. It was good to have him back in the lineup. He always does something good for the team.”

Buxton batted leadoff in his first action since July 26 against Washington. The Twins went 6-7 in his absence, though they entered Monday coming off series victories over Detroit and Kansas City.

“Energetically, it’s itching to get back,” Buxton said before the game. “I’ve been on the bench seeing them take the extra base, stealing bases. It’s fun. We’re a young group now even younger.”

The Twins sent outfielder Carson McCusker to Triple-A St. Paul to make room for Buxton, who has stolen 17 bases in 17 attempts. Despite the rib cage issue and a concussion that cost him time earlier, Buxton has been as healthy as he has in several seasons. He’s on pace for the second-most games in his 11-year major league career, behind the 140 games he played in in 2017.

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