Center fielder Byron Buxton will be activated and back in the lineup for the Twins tonight for their game against the White Sox (7:10 p.m., FSN).
Buxton has been out 10 games because of concussion symptoms and also had three wisdom teeth removed last week.
It won't be easy for him to come off the IL and face righthander Lucas Giolito, who is emerging as one of the best young pitchers in the game. He shut the Twins out for five innings on June 30 in Chicago.
But Buxton's presence means a lot to a team that needs to put the pedal to the floor as they face the White Sox and Marlins for the next seven games.
"What Buck brings to you and he changes not just the way we play as a team but he changes the way the other team has to look at the game and approach what they are doing," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "He speeds the game up for the other team when he's out on the field, and that is not a comfortable place to be."
Jake Cave was sent to Class AAA Rochester, along with pitcher Devin Smeltzer, who threw five innings of relief in Wednesday's 10-7 loss to the Yankees.
Poppen, 25, is 5-1 with a 3.77 ERA for the Red Wings. He was previously recalled by the Twins on June 19 and pitched in relief that night against the Boston Red Sox, allowing three runs on five hits over four innings.
Cave has appeared in 35 games for the Twins, hitting .193 with two home runs.
Two All-Star pitchers tonight as Jose Berrios faces Lucas Giolito.
Tonight's lineups, courtesy of the teams' Twitter accounts:
