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 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 one Defensive Run Saved and three 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 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. 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 path for Minnesota to get to the postseason.
