Twins' Byron Buxton lands on 10-day IL, Ryan Jeffers returns

Twins star Byron Buxton is headed to the injured list for the second time this season. Buxton was placed on the 10-day IL on Tuesday with left ribcage inflammation, the team announced. It's retroactive to July 27, which means he could theoretically return in a week or so if all goes well.

Buxton previously missed a two-week stretch in May while on the concussion IL. He's been mostly healthy this season, at least within the context of his injury-riddled career. He's played in 85 of the Twins' 106 games and is on track to have the best year of his career. Buxton has hit .282 with 23 homers, 59 RBI, 17 steals (on 17 tries), and an excellent .905 OPS, while playing his usual excellent defense in center field. Earlier this month, he played in the All-Star Game for the second time.

But Buxton will now miss more than a week with this rib issue, which saw him leave Saturday's game early and miss the next two. We'll see what Rocco Baldelli has to say, but the Twins are undoubtedly hoping Buxton will be able to return fairly soon.

This is a big blow to the Twins' already-slim playoff hopes. At 51-55, they're five games back of a wild card spot and have the fourth-worst record in the American League. They've already begun operating as sellers, trading away Chris Paddack on Monday, and they're expected to make several other deals before Thursday's deadline. Between subtracting from the roster via trade and not having Buxton for a while, it's becoming nearly impossible to envision the Twins getting back into the postseason hunt.

The Twins activated Ryan Jeffers from the paternity list on Tuesday, but he isn't starting in the second game of their series against the Red Sox. Here's the lineup:

1. Trevor Larnach DH
2. Carlos Correa SS
3. Willi Castro LF
4. Royce Lewis 3B
5. Kody Clemens 2B
6. Ty France 1B
7. Matt Wallner RF
8. Harrison Bader CF
9. Christian Vazquez C

Pierson Ohl will make his MLB debut on the mound.

More Twins coverage