News on Byron Buxton's knee is 'positive'

BOSTON – Given the Twins' by-now-standard extra caution with Byron Buxton's health — for instance, flying in their own doctor from the Twin Cities this weekend to examine him — the fact that he remained on their active roster Saturday said more about the outfielder's condition than any news release.

"The initial exam was positive," showing no structural damage to Buxton's right knee, Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said. "Our hope is we don't have to [place him on the injured list]. We want to avoid that if we can."

It didn't seem possible when a clearly distraught Buxton walked off the field Friday after an awkward slide into second base, a mishap that triggered pain in his knee and irritation in his mind.

"It was mainly just him letting out some emotion because he knew he wasn't going to be able to stay in that game," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "All he wants to do is play."

Though Buxton wasn't in the Twins lineup Saturday, he will probably get the chance on this weeklong road trip. The Twins considered sending him home for further testing, but when the magnetic resonance imaging exam showed the knee undamaged, they decided to summon orthopedic specialist Dr. Corey Wulf to Boston instead. He conducted his own exam before Saturday's game, and Buxton also did some mobility exercises on his right leg.

"The plan is for [Buxton] to continue to be with us for the rest of the trip," Baldelli said of the Boston-Kansas City trek. "Obviously if we found something from the testing, we would make a roster move if that was appropriate. But we didn't think it was appropriate yet."

Falvey said he feared the injury might be a sprain in the moment, but now it just appears to be soreness, much easier to treat. "He's probably been dealing with soreness at times, but most of these guys are dealing with something [minor]," Falvey said. "There wasn't anything significant."

Gordon in center

In Buxton's absence, Nick Gordon has played center field, which is both a natural choice — Gordon has played that position more than any other in his major league career — and a surprise, given that Baldelli focused the utility man's playing time on corner outfield spots during spring training.

The player with the most starts in center field since 2018 besides Buxton is Max Kepler, who Baldelli has chosen to keep in right field during this series. That likely will change at some point, the manager said, but he'd prefer to avoid it.

"Kep's going to play some center. But if possible — he's an excellent right fielder, and he is very comfortable out there in right field," Baldelli said. "So if possible, we'll leave Kep in right."

Gilberto Celestino, who started in center field Wednesday while Buxton served as designated hitter, also remains on the roster and along with Gordon "could kind of rotate in and out" at the position until Buxton returns.

A little pain enough

Jorge Alcala says his pain level when he throws is a 20 on a 100-point scale — but it's enough to prevent him from throwing. The righthanded reliever said he can isolate the exact fastball he threw Sunday that suddenly irritated his arm, and admitted he's alarmed by the sensation.

"It's the first time I've felt this way," Alcala said Saturday, four days after going on the injured list because of elbow inflammation. "Yeah, it's different."

Alcala said he threw from 60 feet and 90 feet on Friday, and "I didn't feel quite where I wanted to be, but we're progressing and that's what matters. We're moving forward, so hopefully soon I'll get back."

Etc.