X-rays negative on ankle of Twins starter hit by comebacker

X-rays were negative on Kenta Maeda’s left ankle after the Twins starter was hit by Jarren Duran line drive on Thursday, though it remains unclear whether Maeda will still require a stint on the 15-day injured list.  The team plans on pushing back Maeda’s next turn in the rotation and reporters (including MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park) were told that more on Maeda’s condition should be known after he goes through a light throwing session on Saturday and a subsequent Monday bullpen session.

Bailey Ober is being called up on Sunday for a spot start in Minnesota’s game with the Nationals, thus pushing back the rest of the Twins rotation and providing a bit more time for Maeda to recover.  If Maeda is able to return without real setback, he would figure to take the mound at some point during the Twins’ four-game series with the Royals (April 27-30).

Maeda missed all of the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery and the results of his first three starts this season have been somewhat mixed.  Beyond the obvious negative of the ankle bruise, Maeda has been allowing a concerning amount of hard contact, his 23.1 percent strikeout rate is barely above the league average and his fastball velocity has dropped to 89.9 MPH from his previous career average of 91.2 MPH (though velo has never been a big part of Maeda’s arsenal).  On the plus side, he has posted a 4.15 ERA over 13 innings, with an elite-level chase rate and walk rate — the right-hander has issued just one walk as of this posting.

In other injury news, Alex Kirilloff has yet to play this season, as the former star prospect opened the season on the 10-day IL while still recovering from the campaign-ending wrist surgery he underwent last August.  Kirilloff is nearing the end of his 20-day minor league rehab assignment, but The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman reports that some team officials feel he won’t immediately join the Twins’ big league roster once activated from the IL, as he instead could be optioned to Triple-A.

Kirilloff has played in only seven minor league games during his rehab assignment and didn’t see any game action during spring training.  As a result, the Twins might feel he simply needs more time to fully ramp up to face MLB pitching -- even though Kirilloff has been hitting very well during his limited minor league at-bats.  The returns of Jorge Polanco and Joey Gallo from the injured list have helped bolster the Twins’ lineup. And in Gallo’s case specifically, he has been playing first base — ostensibly Kirilloff’s position when he eventually gets back to the Show.  Since Minnesota has no glaring need in the lineup and naturally wants to be cautious with Kirilloff given his history of wrist issues, it could mean a more extended stint at Triple-A.

Speaking of injury histories, Byron Buxton has thankfully remained off the injured list thus far in 2023, which could be in part due to the Twins’ deployment of the outfielder has a full-time designated hitter.  Buxton has yet to play in the field this season. Manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press) that he didn’t know when or necessarily even if Buxton would be back in the outfield.  

“I am enjoying the fact that I get to write his name in the lineup virtually every day right now.  And at this point, I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize that, because I think that’s the most important thing,” Baldelli said.

For his part, Buxton admitted that the DH role remains a “job that’s not normal for me" and "something [he's] figuring out.”  However, Buxton also said, understandably, “as long as I’m playing, that don’t faze me.”  

Buxton has been solid if unspectacular at the plate thus far this season, hitting .243/.316/.443 with three homers over 79 plate appearances, which translates to a 113 wRC+.