The Twins fell to the Astros in Sport 1 of the ALDS this afternoon, although that didn’t cease supervisor Rocco Baldelli for offering reporters (together with Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune) with recent insights into the harm conditions surrounding rookie Royce Lewis and outfielder Byron Buxton.
Relating to Lewis, there’s cause for optimism that the younger slugger can return to the sphere within the close to future. Whereas he usually serves because the common third baseman for the Twins, Lewis has been restricted to DH-only duties all through the playoffs up to now because of a hamstring pressure he suffered in late September, with Jorge Polanco protecting the recent nook in his stead. It sounds as if a possible return to 3rd could possibly be in Lewis’s future earlier than the postseason is over, nonetheless, as Baldelli famous that Lewis was making progress, although he’s nonetheless at present liable to re-aggravating his hamstring harm by returning to the diamond.
As for Buxton, the oft-injured middle fielder was equally restricted to DH-only duties this 12 months, by no means as soon as taking the sphere on protection all through the common season. The harm additionally seemingly hampered Buxton on the plate, as he slashed simply .207/.294/.438 in 85 video games with the Twins this 12 months. The membership made the choice to go away Buxton off the ALDS roster, and Baldelli shed some gentle on that call in what seems to be a worrisome replace relating to Buxton’s skill to influence the membership later within the postseason. Per Baldelli, Buxton has but to progress to operating the bases as he hopes to return to the membership this postseason. With Buxton not but operating the bases, it’s arduous to think about him being wholesome sufficient to return to defensive play within the outfield because the Twins make their push towards their first World Sequence championship since 1991, although the Twins haven’t but dominated him out for the postseason.
Extra from across the main leagues…
Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins supplied an replace on right-hander Alek Manoah throughout as we speak’s end-of-season presser, as famous by ESPN. Manoah, clarifying among the uncertainty that surrounded the right-handers standing final month. Atkins famous that Manoah had acquired an injection to reliever discomfort in his throwing shoulder, although he added that no structural injury had been discovered after a number of exams. Atkins described the 2022 AL Cy Younger award finalist as “motivated to get again to type,” including that Manoah felt the injection was your best option for a subsequent step ahead as he appears to arrange for the 2024 marketing campaign. Manoah, 25, struggled badly in 19 begins with the Blue Jays this 12 months, posting a 5.87 ERA and 6.02 FIP in 87 1/3 innings of labor.
Braves right-hander Kyle Wright is ready to overlook the 2024 marketing campaign as a consequence of an impending shoulder surgical procedure, because the membership introduced earlier than as we speak’s 3-0 loss to the Phillies in Sport 1 of the NLDS. Following the sport, Wright spoke to reporters, together with Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Structure, about his harm. Wright famous that an MRI revealed perforations on the capsule in his proper shoulder, and that whereas the severity of the injury gained’t be clear till the process begins, he’s sure to overlook the whole lot of the 2024 season. Previous to testing revealing the injury, Wright provides, the difficulty was one thing he tried to pitch via in hopes of creating Atlanta’s postseason roster.
