Byron Buxton still was being bothered by a sore left big toe a day after a hole was drilled in the nail, further clouding his return to the Twins.
"I don't think [he] got as much relief as they were hoping for," Molitor said of the procedure, intended to reduce the pressure on the toe, which was struck by a foul ball during a rehab game Sunday.
Buxton took batting practice off a tee in Fort Myers, Fla., the manager added, "and it was determined he wasn't ready to get into any live action."
Buxton is eligible now to be activated from the disabled list — the migraines that afflicted him subsided a week ago — and while Molitor would prefer that he get some at-bats first, even if only in extended spring training games, he hinted that the Twins might be willing to forego that option, just to get their starting center fielder back.
"Obviously more at-bats would be better, but there's something about his presence, of being able to patrol center field, that has value," Molitor said. "He's unique in that way — you can feel the void when he's not around. [We] might have a desire to get him back sooner than later."
