Twins' Byron Buxton feels fine after ribs rehab, but his statistics aren't fine

Byron Buxton feels fine physically after returning from the injured list, missing 11 games after he took a pitch to the ribs, even if the results don't match up.

He remains hitless in his first 16 at-bats since he was activated from the IL, with 10 strikeouts and one walk. He entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning Sunday in a 6-4 loss to the Tigers and struck out looking with the bases loaded.

"I still feel great. It just ain't going the way I want it to, you know?" Buxton said. "Just probably doing a little more guessing and not trusting what I'm doing right now. But if you don't feel like your swing is there, that's what you tend to do. I've got a good idea now where I want to be — and it better be good."

Buxton's issue since returning from the IL is his timing. He said he worked on his swing for about three or four days before he was activated, which included hitting off a tee and off a pitching machine, but he didn't want to be on a rehab assignment.

"I never think rehab assignment," he said. "I feel every time I go on rehab, something happens."

It's been a rough season for Buxton even before the rib injury. He has a .202 batting average and a .715 OPS in 229 plate appearances, both his lowest marks in a season since 2018.

The idea of keeping him as a designated hitter has mostly served its purpose by keeping him in the lineup, but the Twins need more from one of their top-of-the-order hitters.

"Even when he's going well, he takes probably the fewest swings of anyone in the game to prepare for a given game," said manager Rocco Baldelli, noting Buxton's physical limitations. "The one challenge in the middle of all of it is when things aren't going the way he wants, how do you figure it out if you can't go out there and take the swings that most guys would need to figure it out?"

Immediately after Michael A. Taylor was hit by a curveball in the back of the head in the eighth inning Sunday, the center fielder felt ringing in his ears.

"I've been hit in the helmet. I've never had it miss the helmet and hit me in the head," said Taylor, who felt better Monday, though he was out of the lineup as a precaution.

Taylor passed initial examinations without showing concussion-like symptoms.

The Twins haven't finalized when Kenta Maeda will be activated from the 15-day IL, but after four rehab starts, the 35-year-old righthander said the next step is clear.

"The next step would be to get a win in the big leagues," said Maeda, who had a 0-4 record in his first four starts for the Twins coming back from Tommy John surgery before going on the IL because of arm problems. "That would perfect everything. I think that goes a long way for the rest of the season."

Baldelli said Maeda will likely rejoin the Twins by the end of the week. Maeda lasted 81 pitches in his last start for Class AAA St. Paul, completing 4⅓ innings with four strikeouts and four walks.

During Friday's start for the Saints at Louisville, Maeda could challenge the home plate umpire's balls and strikes with the Automated Balls and Strikes system. He successfully overturned a ball into a strike in the first inning.

"Asking for the challenges itself is a pretty tough decision," Maeda said. "Another thing: The ABS makes the zone even tighter, so I'm hoping that won't come up to the big leagues. We're doing everything to shorten the game these days. If ABS comes, that's going to make it lengthier."