Twins get good news from MRI of Byron Buxton’s hip

The Twins got good news on Byron Buxton. The center fielder underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam on his right hip Tuesday. and he was withheld from a 6:40 pm first pitch against the Kansas City Royals at Target Field.

The exam showed no tear in the hip that forced Buxton to miss the last five weeks of the 2022 season, and there is no plan to place him on the 10-day injured list.

Buxton pulled himself out of an 8-3 victory over the Royals because of tightness in his right hip after a fifth-inning at-bat on Monday, replaced in the lineup and center field by Manny Margot.

“He’s going to sit with the doctors today, as well, and talk through it,” manager Rocco Baldelli said before Tuesday night’s game. “He is day-to-day right now. We’re going to see how he is later on this afternoon, how he is tomorrow, and just kind of go from there.”

The Twins will no doubt be cautious with their center fielder.

Buxton has a long injury history that limited him to well under 100 games in eight of his first nine seasons, and right hip issues have played a major role. In 2022, the all-star starter for the American League had an MRI on his hip, was placed on the 10-day injured list and did not play again that season.

After being limited to designated hitting in 2023, and still playing only 85 games because of rib, hamstring and, most importantly, knee injuries, he had surgery to remove the plica in his right knee in October. He has played more than 60 games in center field this season.

“He normally doesn’t pull himself out of a game immediately, even when something is bothering him,” Baldelli said after Monday’s game.

It’s never a good time to lose Buxton, but the veteran has been hitting especially well since the calendar turned to July — .311 with 28 extra-base hits, 21 runs scored, 15 runs batted in and a 1.081 OPS in 27 games.

Lee taking it slow

Infielder Brooks Lee began a strengthening program on his right shoulder on Tuesday, four days after being placed on the IL with right biceps tendinitis.

“We’re starting slow, just light,” he said.

The rookie had a cortisone shot in the shoulder late last week after playing through pain for several days. Lee won’t travel with the team for a four-game series starting Thursday in Texas, and said he has been doing aerobics and taking ground balls without throwing.

“I think we start strengthening the rotator cuff starting today and kind of going from there,” he said. “That’s kind of going to be the biggest thing.”

Happy beginning?

The Twins designated Scott Blewett for release or assignment to make room on the 40-man and active roster for Tuesday’s starter Zebby Matthews, but not before a happy ending for the veteran right-hander.

Or maybe a happy beginning is more accurate.

“A lot of people say you can only debut once, but that felt a lot more like a debut,” Blewett said after finishing Monday’s game with a 1-2-3 ninth. It was the first major league appearance for Blewett, 28, since September 2021 for the Royals.

“That was pretty cool,” he said. “Pretty awesome.”

Blewett will have to pass through waivers before the Twins can reassign him to Class AAA St. Paul, where he was 5-2 with a 3.66 earned-run average in 36 appearances (three starts) with the Saints.

“I feel a lot different. I feel like I’m a totally different pitcher. I’ve learned a lot over the last few years,” he said upon arriving in Minneapolis last week. “I’ve had quite a few mentors along the way. Matured. It’s good to be back.”

Blewett pitched in the Royals, White Sox and Braves organizations and was released by Atlanta’s Double-A club in Mississippi last August. He immediately signed to play in Taiwan, where he went 3–3 with a 3.95 ERA in seven starts, then signed a minor league contract with the Twins in January.

He worked with Tread Athletics to hone his stuff and increase his velocity, and his fastball was clocked at 95.1 mph on Monday.

Briefly

Brock Stewart had a successful cleanout procedure on his right shoulder. He’s expected to be ready to go for spring training. … With Matthews making his major league debut on Tuesday, the Saints called Andrew Morris up from Class AA Wichita to start their game at Indianapolis. Morris, 22, is rated as the Twins’ No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 22 by Baseball America, allowed only three base-runners in six innings in a 5-4 loss. In 12 appearances (10 starts) with Double-A Wichita, Morris was 6-3 with a 1.90 ERA, and struck out 63 against 14 walks in 61⅔ innings.