Byron Buxton, Alex Kirilloff could be back with Twins very soon
What are the Minnesota Twins going to do with the lineup when Byron Buxton and Alex Kirilloff return? The Twins announced Tuesday that Buxton and Kirilloff will begin rehab assignments at Triple-A St. Paul beginning Wednesday, so it's safe to assume that if all goes well they'll be back with the Twins within a week or so.
Byron Buxton and Alex Kirilloff will both start a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul tomorrow.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) August 29, 2023
Buxton will start in center field and play roughly 7 innings, marking his first appearance in the field this season. Kirilloff will start at DH.
The easiest solution to lineup construction issues would be splitting time in center field with Buxton and Michael A. Taylor, while Kirilloff splits time at first base with Donovan Solano. That would eliminate the issue of having to bounce Royce Lewis and Jorge Polanco all over the field and it would keep Matt Wallner's bat in the lineup.
Maybe the lineup against righties looks something like this...
- Eddy Julien, DH
- Royce Lewis, 3B
- Max Kepler, RF
- Carlos Correa, SS
- Matt Wallner, LF
- Jorge Polanco, 2B
- Ryan Jeffers, C
- Byron Buxton, CF
- Alex Kirilloff, 1B
Maybe the lineup against lefties looks something like this...
- Donovan Solano, 1B
- Jorge Polanco, 2B
- Royce Lewis, 3B
- Carlos Correa, SS
- Ryan Jeffers, C
- Byron Buxton, DH
- Max Kepler, RF
- Michael A. Taylor, CF
- Jordan Luplow, LF
The lineup against righties doesn't include Julien or Wallner because both have struggled mightily against left-handed pitchers this season. If Buxton needs a day off, Kyle Farmer or another right-handed bat could fill in as the designated hitter.
Keep in mind that the Twins can expand the roster to 28 players on Sept. 1, which would allow them to activate Willi Castro from the 10-day injured list and consider calling up someone like Austin Martin, who has been red hot at Triple-A St. Paul over the past month.
The Saints play home games Wednesday through Monday before an off day Tuesday and then a 12-game road trip. There's no way the Twins will send Buxton or Kirilloff on the road with the Saints, so it's probably safe to assume that their rehab assignments won't go beyond Sunday, Sept. 3.
It would make sense to have Buxton and Kirilloff play with the Saints through the weekend and then have them join the Twins for Monday's series opener in Cleveland, though with the roster expanding to 28 players on Friday they could very well decide to bring them back for the Friday-Sunday series at Texas.
Whatever happens, the Twins are getting dangerous hitters back for the final push.
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