The Minnesota Twins are calling up top prospect Walker Jenkins for this weekend’s series with the Chicago White Sox amid uncertainty regarding Byron Buxton’s availability due to a hip injury. The team announced the move on Thursday.
Jenkins, 21, had a .308/.407/.532 slash line with Triple-A St. Paul, adding 12 home runs, 17 doubles, 28 RBI and 17, stolen bases in 307 plate appearances while dealing with hamstring and shoulder injuries. In August, he is slashing .411/.488/.795 with 8 home runs and 7 steals.
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Ranked as Minnesota’s No. 1 prospect by MLB.com (and No. 15 overall), Jenkins was the Twins’ 2023 first-round draft pick (fifth overall) out of South Brunswick High School in North Carolina.
Buxton, 32, aggravated a right hip injury in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Athletics while running and reaching down for a hit into the right-center gap during the seventh inning. Following the triple by Henry Bolte, Buxton was in obvious discomfort, favoring his right leg and came out of the game.
The 12-year veteran has been limited to 93 games this season because of a right hip impingement. The issue has resulted in two stints on the injured list, making Buxton available for only nine games from July 4 to Aug. 13.
When he’s been in the lineup, Buxton has been productive with a .254/.319/.511 slash average with 25 home runs, 22 doubles and 46 RBI in 408 PAs. He’s also played well in center field according to advanced metrics, crediting him with 1 Defensive Run Saved and 3 Outs Above Average.
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No corresponding move for Jenkins’ call-up has yet been announced, so Buxton returning to the IL for a third time is not a certainty.
Jenkins is the second top prospect that the Twins have called up in August, joining shortstop Kaelen Culpepper.
At 64-70, the Twins are four games back from the American League’s third wild-card playoff spot. However, five teams are ahead of them in the standings, including the Cleveland Guardians who currently hold that third spot at 68-66.
Trailing the Chicago White Sox by 6.5 games in the AL Central, the wild card is likely the only parth for Minnesota to get to the postseason.
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