Some unexpected news from the Twins Wednesday ahead of Game 4 of the ALDS. The Twins are placing first baseman Alex Kirilloff on the injured list with a shoulder injury.
His replacement on the roster, and active for Game 4? None other than Byron Buxton. He's not in the starting lineup Wednesday but is available to manager Rocco Baldelli.
Buxton has been out injured since August. He played briefly during a rehab stint with the St. Paul Saints but reaggravated his knee. Now, he could potentially play in Game 4. Baldelli said he’s not going to play a lot, but is available in a "big spot".
"We think right now he's at a good enough spot where he can help us and I would say probably in smaller spurts," says Baldelli. "So, I think everyone knows what that probably means. It could be a big at-bat. It could be going out there to run for us in a particular spot. I don't think it's probably gonna be a lot of bulk to the work that he could put in. But he's available to us and he's a very dangerous player and a guy that can make things happen on the field and I would probably leave it at that."
Kirilloff struggled at the plate and in the field in the ALCS and ALDS. He's hitless in 11 plate appearances against Toronto and Houston. He made a key error in Game 3 Tuesday in the first inning on a ball down the first baseline which helped give Houston an early 4-0 lead.
Baldelli reported after the announcement that Kirilloff's shoulder had gotten so bad, he was struggling to swing the bat.
"Well, AK is dealing with the same issue that he's been dealing with for a long time," explained Baldelli prior to Game 4. "It's just progressively been getting worse, to the point where he really can't swing and he's battled through it. This is the issue, with the shoulder, that shut him down for a long period of time this year. And we got him back to a reasonably good spot. He was never back to anything I would call 100% or close to it, but he got back to a point where he could swing. But we had to keep his workload light and kind of start there. That's why late in the season he was not playing every day. We would take him out of games. We were getting him enough where we treat, keep his timing kind of down, but we didn't want to overuse him knowing that this was something he was dealing with. And it just got worse."
MLB Postseason rules provide that a Club may request permission from the Commissioner’s Office to replace a player who is unable to play because of an injury. The Commissioner’s Office may approve or disapprove the request based on the specific facts and circumstances. In accordance with the rules, Kirilloff will be ineligible to return in the American League Championship Series if the Twins participate, but he would be eligible to return for the World Series if Minnesota qualifies.
Buxton was an early-season catalyst for the Twins but once again, injuries caught up with him. Most speculated he wouldn't see any postseason action after not getting healthy enough to play by the end of the regular season.
Here's how the Twins will take the field for Game 4:
1. Julien DH
2. Polanco 2B
3. Lewis 3B
4. Kepler RF
5. Correa SS
6. Jeffers C
7. Castro LF
8. Solano 1B
9. Taylor CF
Starter: Ryan RHP
The Game 4 pregame begins at 5:00 p.m. on 830 WCCO, 102.9 FM The Wolf and on the Audacy App (in-market restrictions apply). WCCO's Henry Lake will host Final Pitch following coverage of Game 4 from Target Field.