The Twins have received good news regarding Byron Buxton. The center fielder underwent an MRI scan of his right hip on Tuesday and was ruled out for the 6:40 p.m. first pitch against the Kansas City Royals at Target Field.

The examination did not reveal a tear in the hip that would have forced Buxton to miss the final five weeks of the 2022 season, and there is no plan to place him on the 10-day injured list.

Buxton left an 8-3 win over the Royals on Monday because of tightness in his right hip after hitting in the fifth inning; he was replaced in the lineup and in center field by Manny Margot.

“He’ll also sit down with the doctors today and talk through everything,” manager Rocco Baldelli said before Tuesday night’s game. “He’s living day by day at the moment. We’ll see how he feels this afternoon, how he feels tomorrow, and then just move on.”

The Twins will undoubtedly be cautious with their center fielder.

Buxton has a long injury history that limited him to well under 100 games in eight of his first nine seasons, and right hip issues played a big part in that. In 2022, the American League All-Star starter underwent an MRI of his hip, was placed on the 10-day injured list and did not play again that season.

After being restricted to designated hitting in 2023 and playing in just 85 games due to rib, thigh and, most importantly, knee injuries, he underwent surgery in October to remove the plica in his right knee. He has played more than 60 games in center field this season.

“Normally he doesn’t withdraw from a game immediately, even if something bothers him,” Baldelli said after Monday’s game.

It’s never a good time to lose Buxton, but the veteran has hit particularly well since the season began in July – .311 with 28 extra-base hits, 21 runs scored, 15 runs batted in and an OPS of 1.081 in 27 games.

Lee takes it slow

Infielder Brooks Lee began strengthening his right shoulder on Tuesday, four days after being placed on the injured list with right biceps tendinitis.

“We’ll start slowly, very easily,” he said.

The rookie received a cortisone shot in his shoulder late last week after playing through pain for several days. Lee will not travel with the team for a four-game series that begins Thursday at Texas and said he has been doing aerobics and catching ground balls without throwing.

“I think we’ll start today with strengthening the rotator cuff and then move on,” he said. “That’s going to be the most important thing.”

Nice start?

The Twins have designated for release or trade Scott Blewett to make room on their 40-man active roster for Tuesday’s starter, Zebby Matthews, but not without a happy ending for the veteran right-hander.

Or perhaps a happy beginning would be more accurate.

“A lot of people say you can only debut once, but this felt a lot more like a debut,” Blewett said after finishing Monday’s game with a 1-2-3 ninth. It was the 28-year-old Blewett’s first major league appearance for the Royals since September 2021.

“That was pretty cool,” he said. “Pretty awesome.”

Blewett must clear the waivers list before the Twins can send him back to Class AAA St. Paul, where he had a 5-2 record with a 3.66 earned run average (ERA) in 36 appearances (three starts) with the Saints.

“I feel completely different. I feel like I’m a completely different pitcher. I’ve learned a lot over the last few years,” he said when he arrived in Minneapolis last week. “I’ve had a lot of mentors along the way. I’ve matured. It’s nice to be back here.”

Blewett was a pitcher for the Royals, White Sox and Braves and was released by Atlanta’s Double-A club in Mississippi last August. He immediately signed a contract to play in Taiwan, where he went 3-3 with a 3.95 ERA in seven starts, then signed a minor league contract with the Twins in January.

He worked with Tread Athletics to improve his skills and increase his velocity, and his fastball was measured at 95.1 mph on Monday.

Meager

Brock Stewart’s right shoulder was successfully cleaned. He is expected to be ready to return for spring training. … With Matthews making his major league debut Tuesday, the Saints have called up Andrew Morris from Class AA Wichita for their game at Indianapolis. Morris, 22, is rated as the Twins’ No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 22 by Baseball America. In 12 appearances (10 starts) with Double-A Wichita, Morris was 6-3 with a 1.90 ERA, recording 63 strikeouts with 14 walks in 61⅔ innings.