The Minnesota Twins have placed center fielder Byron Buxton and his ailing left shoulder on the 60-day injured list, ending his season and leaving the American League Central leaders without their best defensive player for the rest of the pennant race and beyond.
Minnesota made the move on Tuesday before a three-game series against Washington, as Buxton was having surgery to repair a damaged labrum. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton likely would need five to six months to recover, putting his readiness for the start of spring training in question. The Twins, who took a five-game lead over Cleveland into the night, reinstated right-hander Kyle Gibson from the injured list and promoted infielder Ronald Torreyes from Triple-A Rochester.
Buxton sustained a partial dislocation after crashing into the outfield wall while making a catch on Aug. 1. He batted .262 with 30 doubles, four triples, 10 homers, 46 RBIs and 48 runs in only 271 at-bats. Buxton played in five games last week as a defensive replacement and pinch runner.
Gibson, who last pitched on Aug. 30, has been dealing with a digestive track disease, ulcerative colitis. He is scheduled to start on Thursday.
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