Twins send Buxton, Kepler back to minors
The Minnesota Twins made a flurry of roster moves Monday prior to their contest with the Cleveland Indians, most notably sending struggling center fielder Byron Buxton and prospect Max Kepler back to Triple-A Rochester.
Buxton, widely considered the top prospect in baseball at one time, was hitting just .156/.208/.289 with 24 strikeouts in 17 contests prior to his demotion. After also failing to produce in 46 games last year, Buxton will now try to find his swing again in the minor-league ranks.
"We've tried to exhibit patience but I think it got to the point where it started to affect him a little bit," Twins skipper Paul Molitor told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.
Kepler, the team's second-ranked prospect according to MLB.com, managed a paltry .167/.286/.333 slash line in 12 at-bats while playing both center and right field.
Following a 16-inning 6-5 loss to the Washington Nationals on Sunday, righty Alex Meyer has been recalled to reinforce the pitching staff, while the versatile Danny Santana was activated from the disabled list.
Minnesota is 5-14 entering play Monday, the worst record in the American League.