AL Central-leading Twins place Kepler, Sanó on injured list

Twins Tigers Baseball
Minnesota Twins' Max Kepler walks in the dugout after being replaced with a pinch runner during the third inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Carlos Osorio | AP

The AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins placed outfielder Max Kepler and infielder Miguel Sanó on the 10-day injured list Saturday, a big setback for a team with playoff hopes.

Sanó's return to the IL with left knee inflammation is particularly tough because he had returned just four days earlier from missing 75 games after having surgery to repair torn meniscus in the knee in May. He apparently aggravated the knee during his recent rehab assignment. The Twins say he will undergo an MRI when they return to Minneapolis after a weekend series at San Diego.

Sanó went 0 for 6 in his three games back.

Kepler broke the fifth toe on his right foot when he was hit by a pitch at Detroit on Sunday. He had gone through workouts and the Twins hoped to keep him on the active roster but decided to shut him down.

Kepler was hitting .244 with nine homers and 39 RBIs.

To take their spots on the roster, the Twins recalled outfielder Mark Contreras and selected the contract of infielder Tim Beckham from Triple-A St. Paul.

Despite the tough injury news, the Twins bounced back to beat the Padres, 7-4 on Saturday, behind homers by Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa. The Twins held a 2-game lead over Cleveland heading into Sunday’s finale against San Diego.

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