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They might yet extend their winning streak to 11 games and sweep the season series against should-be contenders, but the Twins are living in limbo right now. After a third-inning fly ball on which Byron Buxton charged hard as Carlos Correa backpedaled into the outfield, both players are out of the game. Twins Territory waits with bated breath to see what the prognosis on each turns out to be.
On an 0-2 count, Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins hit a pop-up with some extra carry. (For the Twins, nothing good begins with 'Cedric Mullins...'.) Buxton had been shading Mullins toward right field, and Correa had been playing up the middle. Because the ball was well beyond the infield apron and a bit toward left field, Correa hurried out after the ball, unsure whether Buxton would be able to get there. Buxton, meanwhile, read the ball well and charged hard, at a slight angle. At the last moment, Correa tried to pull off and brace for contact, but it did little good.
After a lengthy visit from the trainer and the manager, Correa left the game, while Buxton stayed in. However, by the bottom of the fourth, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. had replaced Buxton in center field. There has been no update as of the time of this writing, but each player appeared to hit their heads and be badly shaken up on the play. It's safe to guess that each will at least be evaluated for possible concussions.
You couldn't draw up a worse turn of events for the Twins if you tried. These are the two players in whom they are most heavily invested, financially, and Buxton has been at the heart of everything good that has happened for the team this year. Correa's season has already been a struggle, but that's certainly not more likely to turn itself around in the wake of this. We'll all await more information.
Already, this is a banged-up team. Harrison Bader left Game 2 of the doubleheader Wednesday in Baltimore, after Ty France had to leave Game 1. They have a bevy of versatile position players, but it's impossible to replace the sheer talent of Buxton and Correa—and equally daunting to replace the defensive brilliance, production and energy Buxton has provided on his own, all year. Keirsey could be in line for more playing time, in the short term, but if the team wants to complete its recovery from a dreadful start to the season, they'll need to get their stars back as soon as possible. Hopefully, the substitutions turn out to have been precautionary, and both players return to the lineup this weekend.
UPDATE: The Twins announced that both players have entered Major League Baseball's concussion protocol. That confirms the fears most felt when they watched the replays of the collision. As is always the case, it's impossible to predict how this will play out. They could be cleared of concussion concerns and miss minimal time, but if either does actually have a concussion—and the violence of the crash was certainly worrisome—they could suffer medium- and long-term effects, both in terms of time missed and performance diminution when they return. For now, the team and the players just need to proceed with caution.
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