Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Well, you don’t have a choice. The good news is that Joe Mauer is back with the Twins from the DL. The bad news is Byron Buxton is replacing him there, per Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press.
Last night Buxton injured his groin, and had to leave the game early. Now he’ll be out at least 10 days, depending on how bad it is (obviously). The injury comes at a bad time for Buxton, as he’s been hitting very well so far in 10 games in July: .387/.457/.516 with a HR and 2B. He had his BA up to .218 at this point, way up from the .147 mark he posted through April.
I’m guessing this means more playing time for rookie Zack Granite, which isn’t a bad thing.
Mauer was out with back spasms since July 4th, he bats third tonight and plays 1B.