May 14, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (25) celebrates during the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Byron Buxton remains out of Twins' lineup as they aim for 13 straight

Originally posted on Minnesota Twins on SI
By Will Ragatz | Last updated May 17, 2025 3:04 PM ET

He isn't on the 7-day concussion IL like teammate Carlos Correa, but Byron Buxton remains out of the Twins' lineup on Saturday in Milwaukee as they go for their 13th consecutive win.

Buxton and Correa collided hard on Thursday in Baltimore as they were both going after a fly ball in shallow center field. They knocked heads during the scary impact and were placed in MLB's concussion protocol after exiting the game.

Correa went on the 7-day IL prior to Friday's game, with the Twins calling up Triple-A St. Paul shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald to add infield depth. There was some confusion on Friday evening about whether or not Buxton had cleared the concussion protocol. Team reporter Audra Martin said he had, but the Twins later announced that he hadn't.

Either way, Buxton won't play on Saturday against the Brewers. He can remain in the protocol for up to three days, so it'll be interesting to see if he's able to return to the lineup for Sunday's series finale. Buxton leads the Twins in hits, runs, home runs, RBI, and stolen bases this season.

Also out of Saturday's lineup is utility man Willi Castro, who was lifted from Friday's game after he fouled a ball off of his knee. He was replaced by Fitzgerald in that game and is dealing with a right knee contusion. Castro previously missed three weeks this season with an oblique issue.

In better injury news, Harrison Bader returns to the lineup after missing the last two games with groin tightness. Bader leads all Twins players (minimum 15 games) in OPS this season, while also playing excellent defense in both left and center field.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. will make another start in CF in Buxton's absence. The Twins are once again starting Christian Vazquez at catcher and using Ryan Jeffers at DH. The only change from Friday's lineup is that Bader is in for Castro.

Pablo Lopez (2.77) ERA starts on the mound for the Twins against Brewers RHP Tobias Myers (3.86). A 13th straight win would mark the second-longest streak in Twins history.

It's a 6:15 p.m. game on FOX.