The Minnesota Twins haven’t won many games in Fort Myers this spring. Fortunately, exhibition wins and defeats do not matter. What matters is that your best players remain healthy. Until the previous week or two, the Twins’ efforts had been mainly effective.
This has altered considerably in recent days, however. In the previous 48 hours, two of the bullpen’s best and most consistent arms have been placed on the injured list. Both Jhoan Duran (15-day designation – right oblique strain) and Caleb Thielbar (left hamstring pain) will begin the Twins’ regular season on the injured list.
Meanwhile, Derek Falvey, president of baseball operations, says freshly acquired Anthony DeSclafani (Polanco trade) is most likely done for the season. Unless the front office obtains another starter between now and Opening Day, Louie Varland will take DeSclafani’s place as the fifth starter. Varland has been completely dominant this spring.
However, injuries are affecting more than just the pitching staff at the Minnesota Twins spring training, which concludes this weekend. Byron Buxton was removed from Monday’s lineup due to lower back discomfort. It may not be his knee, but any injury associated with Buxton will raise concerns, particularly one as sensitive as lower back pain.
Fortunately, manager Rocco Baldelli provided a more optimistic update on the Byron front Monday afternoon. While he was scratched from the lineup, it appears that the decision was more precautionary than concerning, as Buck was seen in the clubhouse throughout the game taking swings in the batting cages.
As Rocco points out, Buxton’s back is unlikely to allow him to take swings in the batting cages. As someone who has dealt with lower back discomfort his entire life (more core training might be beneficial), I can attest to how true this is. When your lower back discomfort becomes severe, moving any muscle in your body might be challenging.
Of course, it doesn’t take much for modest lower back pain to escalate into something much more serious, so this is clearly a subject we’ll be keeping an eye on during the Twins’ final Spring Training off-day on Tuesday, before they return to the exhibition field on Wednesday.
