Byron Buxton had managed to avoid the injured list this season despite missing a handful of games on several occasions, but that came to an end Tuesday with the Twins shutting him down through the All-Star break. Buxton, who aggravated his strained hip over the weekend, is eligible to return for the second-half opener.
Unfortunately, it also means that Buxton won't be able to play in the Midsummer Classic after being voted in as an All-Star starter for the first time. But timing the IL stay around the break allows the Twins to minimize his games missed and give Buxton his first extended rest for an injury that's lingered, off and on, since May.
"It's not as bad as it was, but it's still bad," general manager Jeremy Zoll said. "And the best thing at this point is probably just to give it clear downtime to let it fully resolve itself, so that he's not in this in-between state and can feel fully confident hopefully for a full second half."
Buxton will end the first half having played 75 of a possible 97 games, putting him on pace for 125 games after playing 126 games last season. He's hit .271/.328/.575 for a 146 OPS+ that ranks sixth in the American League and he leads the Twins in homers (25), OPS (.903), runs scored (57), and WAR (3.1).
Triple-A outfielder Alan Roden was called up to replace Buxton on the roster and the left-handed hitter is expected to play regularly versus right-handed pitching, likely while seeing some action in center field. Roden, who was acquired from the Blue Jays in the Louis Varland trade, hit .272/.397/.512 in 33 games for St. Paul.