With concussion behind him, Twins welcome back Byron Buxton

SEATTLE Byron Buxton initially thought he was just dealing with a headache in the immediate aftermath of his collision with Carlos Correa just over two weeks ago While Correa walked off the field alongside a trainer this instant Buxton stayed in and finished off the half-inning in center I stood there and didn t move for two outs Buxton announced It felt like minutes and I knew then like it s likely more serious than a headache Still he hoped he would be able to avoid the concussion injured list He tried to work out and go through initiatives in the days after in Milwaukee but revealed he couldn t do them the way he knew he was capable of Two weeks later the center fielder is back Buxton manager Rocco Baldelli stated passed Major League Baseball s concussion protocols on Wednesday in Tampa leading to his Friday return against the Seattle Mariners The play which occurred on May in Baltimore saw the two Twins stars collide when they were racing in to catch a Cedric Mullins fly ball Buxton somehow hung onto the ball even after running face first into Correa s back as the shortstop who heard Buxton calling for the ball tried to avoid impact Both wound up with concussions At the end of the day neither one of us knew who was going to catch the ball until the last second Buxton stated I hate it happened but it s just one of the things we couldn t avoid I guess Correa who hadn t had a concussion previously returned last Friday Buxton has had concussions in the past He also deals with migraines So it was a little bit harder to kind of differentiate which one it was he mentioned But now that he s back he s hopeful he can pick up where he left off In the month of May before the concussion he was hitting with a OPS Head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta mentioned they put him through a simulated challenge on Wednesday in Tampa where they had him hitting in the cage every time the two-hole would come up and had him running in the field outside next to the batting cages All recounted he was on his feet for about two and a half hours during the match to make sure he was in a good spot to return Paparesta declared Everything feels like it s back to normal Buxton noted It s just more so getting back in there getting back in the groove getting back into center field every day and just getting back out there and being myself Wallner update While the Twins got one outfielder back they re still awaiting the return of another Matt Wallner had Friday as a scheduled day off but it wasn t so he could catch a flight to Seattle He s expected to play another rehab event with the Triple-A Saints on Saturday Paparesta revealed He is having no issues with his hamstring Paparesta mentioned Doing great So what are they waiting for I think there s a number of at-bats we d like to see him get to and if we re there we re there Paparesta declared He s done well with playing three days in a row In at-bats Wallner is hitting with a OPS He has eight hits five of which are home runs in his six games played Briefly The Twins will send Bailey Ober to the mound on Saturday in a battle that will begin at p m CT and will be televised nationally on FOX He will face Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller Reliever Danny Coulombe on the injured list with a left forearm extensor strain is in the middle of a long toss project If things continue to progress well he is expected to throw a bullpen in the next scant days Paparesta stated Pablo L pez hosted bingo for his teammates during the Twins lengthy flight from Tampa to Seattle Baldelli passed specific of his time by playing internet chess How plenty of chess matches did I lose the manager petitioned Several Related Articles Twins option Carson McCusker setting stage for bigger move Friday Twins drop finale to Rays have lost three of four Twins hitters limited to six singles in - loss to Tampa Bay Clemens homers again as Twins beat Rays Hot Twins run into trouble against hotter Tampa Bay