The Minnesota Twins reinstated All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton from the 10-day injured list before their game at the Field of Dreams on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Buxton missed the past 14 games with a right hip impingement, his second stint this season on the injured list. The first stay prevented him from playing in the All-Star Game. He played in seven games after the break and was sidelined again with what has been a recurring injury for him the past few years.
Major League Baseball allowed a 27th player for the special site game, so the Twins didn't have to make a corresponding roster move to make room for Buxton. He was batting .263 with 16 doubles, 25 home runs, 57 runs scored, 45 RBIs and an .864 OPS in 82 games this season before this latest injured list stint.
After playing in 2021 and 2022 at a temporary facility next to the “Field of Dreams” movie site, MLB has returned to stage another regular-season game in what is now a permanent ballpark where mystique and nostalgia will hop into the pennant races for a night.
The game can be viewed on Netflix, and of course you can hear it on WCCO Radio starting with a 6:00 p.m. pregame. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and Shelton says that the magic of being on a movie set is not lost on him, and neither is the message of the movie.
"It's such a unique thing to see the movie set," Shelton adds. "It's an iconic movie with iconic actors in it, one of the great movies of our generation. Especially the great sports movies of our generation. And then it also has the emotional father-son aspect, and I know there's a lot of people that are going to have their dads there, including myself."
Philadelphia Phillies (64-58, second in the NL East) vs. Minnesota Twins (60-62, second in the AL Central)
Dyersville, Iowa; Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
PITCHING PROBABLES: Phillies: Aaron Nola (3-9, 5.47 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 129 strikeouts); Twins: Taj Bradley (9-4, 3.76 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 148 strikeouts)
LINE: Twins -113, Phillies -104; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Twins square off against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Field of Dreams.
Minnesota has gone 60-62 overall with a 19-18 record in AL Central play. The Twins have a 42-24 record in games when they record eight or more hits.
Philadelphia has gone 64-58 overall with a 19-17 record in NL East games. The Phillies have a 34-9 record in games when they did not allow a home run.
Thursday's game is the first meeting between these teams this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brooks Lee has 19 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs and 62 RBIs for the Twins. Josh Bell is 15 for 40 with a double, three home runs and nine RBIs over the past 10 games.
Kyle Schwarber has 14 doubles, a triple and 35 home runs for the Phillies. Bryce Harper is 7 for 30 with two doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 4-6, .254 batting average, 4.59 ERA, outscored by four runs
Phillies: 5-5, .240 batting average, 3.98 ERA, outscored by three runs
INJURIES: Twins: Joe Ryan: 15-Day IL (glute), Mike Paredes: 60-Day IL (oblique), Cole Sands: 60-Day IL (elbow), Byron Buxton: 10-Day IL (hip), David Festa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Mick Abel: 60-Day IL (elbow), Anthony Banda: 60-Day IL (lat), Pablo Lopez: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Phillies: Rafael Marchan: 10-Day IL (knee), Caleb Kilian: 15-Day IL (oblique), Aaron Nola: day-to-day (knee), Tanner Banks: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brad Keller: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Rojas: 60-Day IL (elbow), Adolis Garcia: 60-Day IL (lat)
