Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton is expected to miss at least a few more days after an MRI revealed a right hip impingement, but the team is not planning to place him on the injured list for now.
Buxton was held out of Minnesota’s Tuesday road game against the Houston Astros after also missing the series opener on Monday.
The issue flared up over the weekend, and Buxton said it reached the point where he needed to get it checked rather than continue trying to push through it.
“It’s something we’ve been managing for a little while,” Buxton said, according to MLB.com. “It was a little bit more than normal. It was one of those times where I’m not trying to be a hero.”
The discomfort is similar to an issue that forced Buxton to miss some games in May, though he said the bigger problem now has been at the plate. He felt his body was limiting his at-bats during the Sunday game against the Colorado Rockies.
“I was missing some pitches I normally do damage with,” Buxton said. “I just wasn’t rotating through the body.”
Manager Derek Shelton said the Twins will use the schedule to help guide the decision. Minnesota finishes its series in Houston on Wednesday before an off day on Thursday, giving Buxton a natural window to rest before the club opens a weekend series in New York against the Yankees.
Buxton leads the Twins, who are in third place in the American League Central, with 25 home runs and ranks third on the club with 43 RBIs. He is batting .268. The 32-year-old owns a .249 career average with 193 homers and 479 RBIs in 971 games, all with Minnesota.
