The Twins placed designated hitter Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 2, with a strained right hamstring. Waiver claim Jordan Luplow takes his spot on the active roster.
Buxton had a brief IL stay a couple months ago with a rib issue. More notably, overarching right knee problems have kept the former Gold Glove winner off the field defensively. All 80 of Buxton’s appearances this season have come as a DH. He’s connected on 17 home runs but is hitting just .207 with a .294 on-base percentage.
It’s unclear how long the Twins anticipate Buxton being out of action. Matt Wallner gets the nod at designated hitter tonight against Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly. The 25-year-old Wallner could earn regular run — at least versus right-handed pitching — in Buxton’s absence. He’s hitting .254/.369/.584 in 27 big league games after a .291/.403/.524 showing at Triple-A St. Paul.