The Minnesota Twins have an 81.6 percent chance to make the Major League Baseball playoffs per Baseball Reference, and those chances are about to look even better starting Friday.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli announced that Byron Buxton is set to return following the team’s off day on Thursday, but also alluded that the team is feeling the pressure of a tight American League Wild Card race.
“There’s urgency,” Baldelli told The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman after Wednesday night’s win over the Los Angeles Angels. “We’ve got to find ways to win any way possible. (Wednesday) it meant going to the bullpen and going to them early. And we had guys (warming) up earlier than that. They were getting hot in case we needed them.”
Twins starting pitcher Zebby Matthews was pulled in the fourth inning Wednesday night as Baldelli turned to the bullpen to hold off the Angels, and it proved to be a smart move as Minnesota held on for the win.
That urgency is further underscored by Buxton’s quick return.
The star centerfielder has been on the injured list since Aug. 12 with a hip injury, but the Twins opted not to send him on a minor-league rehab assignment with just 16 regular season games remaining.
However, even a rusty Buxton is a better option than what Minnesota has had in centerfield during his absence.
The Twins have gone 12-16 since his injury, scoring just four runs per game over that stretch — a mark that would be 27th in MLB over a season-long pace.
During Wednesday night’s win over LA, the Twins started DaShawn Keirsey Jr. in centerfield, a 27-year-old career minor-leaguer who has just one hit through 10 MLB at-bats this season.
Buxton, on the other hand, has been a 3.3 Wins Above Replacement player with a .334 on-base percentage and 16 home runs through 90 games this season.
If he can stay healthy, he could be a difference-maker that saves the season.
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