Byron Buxton Exits with Hip Discomfort in Twins' Loss to Athletics

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton left Tuesday night’s game against the Athletics with right hip discomfort, raising concerns about his health as the Twins continue their playoff push.

Buxton, a three-time All-Star, was unable to field an extra-base hit and slowed down after the ball slipped under his glove. He was helped off the field by Twins manager Derek Shelton and an athletic trainer but walked off under his own power.

Manager Shelton indicated the team planned to rest Buxton on Wednesday to allow recovery before a stretch of 15 consecutive games against American League Central rivals.

"(Buxton is) just too important to us," Shelton said. "So we’ll see how he reports (Wednesday). Fortunately it is a night game. It’s not a quick turnaround and we do have some time."

Buxton has struggled with right hip soreness since mid-May, missing the All-Star Game and going on the injured list twice this season. He returned on July 20 but was sidelined again shortly after with a hip shot treatment.

Entering Tuesday's game, Buxton was batting .180/.286/.213 in 17 second-half games and had not homered since June 22, spanning 104 plate appearances.

With only 29 games remaining in the season, losing Buxton again could impact the Twins’ bid for a wild-card spot. They entered Tuesday two games behind the final wild-card position.

If Buxton requires another injured list stint, the Twins could rely on top prospect Walker Jenkins, who has demonstrated power with seven home runs in August and a batting line of .406/.488/.768 over the month, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law ranking Jenkins as the No. 16 prospect in baseball.

"He’s been dealing with the hip issue, which we know," Shelton added. "It kind of caught when he went to stop on the ball. … We need to make sure that we get a look at it."

Earlier in the game, pitcher Taj Bradley threw what appears to be the first immaculate inning in Twins history, striking out three batters on nine pitches in the fifth inning.

Bradley struck out the bottom of the Athletics' order with a mix of fastballs and a split-fingered pitch, completing the feat with three called strikes on leadoff hitter Henry Bolte.

"On the last pitch that’s why I called a fastball because I was like ‘F— it, best pitch,'" Twins catcher Victor Caratini said. "He threw like 100 (mph), and the batter was frozen. That’s pretty nice."

Bradley entered the game with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings this season and struck out 11 batters over 6 2/3 innings. Despite the strong outing, the Twins lost 4-2 as Athletics pitcher Gage Jump limited Minnesota’s hitters and supported his team with a two-run homer hit by Carlos Cortes.

Caratini praised Bradley’s performance despite the runs allowed, stating, "Maybe the score doesn’t look that way, but he threw the ball really good. He attacked the zone when he needed to attack the zone. I’m happy for his outing. I know he doesn’t want to give up four runs, but you see the process, and it’s really, really good."

Jump controlled the game with his pitches, issuing only two walks and allowing few hits, while the Twins struggled to build an offense.

Twins designated hitter Ryan Jeffers noted, "He executed pitches behind in counts. He was throwing behind-count off-speed in good locations. He was really good."