The Twins recently welcomed a pair of key players back from the injured list, returning both center fielder and shortstop to the starting lineup. Buxton was activated in advance of yesterdays game after mi sing the past month with a hip injury, while Correa has been out for the past two months due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The duos return to action is surely a relief for Twins fans. After all, only s 162 wRC+ surpa ses Correas 152 and Buxtons 142 figures among the clubs regulars, and the two stars also play key defensive roles at shortstop and center field respectively. As important as both Correa and Buxton are to the Twins pursuit of an AL Wild Card spot and impending postseason push, however, they wont be in the lineup every day down the stretch. As noted by , manager told reporters earlier today that both players will be in the lineup on a truly game-to-game basis, with the teams medical staff evaluating them both after each game to determine whether or not theyll be available to play in the clubs next game. That aggre sive management of the clubs two top players might seem counter-intuitive for a Twins club thats clinging to a 2.5-game lead over Detroit for the final AL Wild Card spot, but its fairly understandable given the pairs significant injury woes. After all, Buxtons injury woes throughout his career have been extreme enough that the next game he takes the field for will mean hes played more games in 2024 with 93 than he has in any season of his 10-year big league career except 2017. While Correas injury woes havent been quite that extreme, the shortstop has been limited to just 75 games this year by injury and is now attempting to play through plantar fasciitis for the second consecutive September. For a Twins club that hasnt made it to the Ondrej Palat Jersey ALCS since 2002, keeping Correa and Buxton as healthy as po sible for the playoffs is clearly a top priority. For his part, Correa seems to be on board. The shortstop told reporters (as relayed by Gleeman) that Realistically, [hes] not going to play every game before adding that he wants to be on the field for the Twins as much as po sible going forward this season. When Correa and Buxton are unable to play, appears to be the clubs primary backup at shortstop while is the top option in center field. More from around the AL Central The Guardians are dealing with an injury scare regarding one of their top hitters, as club manager told reporters (including ) that outfielder has been out of the lineup in recent days due to what he described as back sorene s. While that diagnosis may seem fairly benign, its at least somewhat concerning that Vogt added Kwan has been sent for testing to determine the severity of the i sue. While its nearly impo sible for the Guardians to mi s the playoffs at this point, the club holds a fairly tenuous three-game lead over the Royals for the AL Central crown, which is likely to come with a bye through the first round of the playoffs. The lo s of Kwan, who has excelled as the clubs leadoff hitter with a .291/.364/.419 slash line this year, would surely complicate the clubs hopes of holding onto its present playoff positioning and an lengthy absence could even jeopardize Kwans availability in the early rounds of the playoffs. , , and are among the clubs options in left field while Kwan is unavailable. The Tigers have been without for virtually the entire second half this year after the right-hander went on the IL back in July due to a shoulder strain. Fortunately, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including ) this afternoon that the club hopes to activate Olson from the IL during the clubs upcoming series against the Royals early next week. A healthy and effective return from Olson would be a huge boost for a Detroit club that sits just 2.5 games back of Minnesota for the final AL Wild Card spot, as the 25-year-old righty was in the midst of a breakout season with a 3.23 ERA and 3.13 FIP in 19 starts before being sidelined. Nick Desimone Jersey