The Minnesota Twins held All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton out of the starting lineup on Thursday because of a bruised left hand that is not expected to affect his availability for long.

Twins All-Star Byron Buxton left Wednesday's game against the Cubs with a left hand contusion after being hit by a pitch.

The Twins missed Buxton’s presence during series finale against the Cubs. There were a few occasions when a ball hit to the outfield found it’s way to the ground and the offense never got revved up with the team’s hottest hitter stuck on the pine.

The Twins almost certainly aren't trading Byron Buxton. The only way it could theoretically happen is if they get a massive offer and Buxton is willing to waive his no-trade clause.

The Twins won a game Wednesday night but lost All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton for the last seven innings of a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Target Field.

Byron Buxton was removed from Wednesday night's game against the Cubs before his second at-bat, after he was hit on the left hand by a fastball to lead off the bottom of the first.

Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton is, perhaps unsurprisingly, out of the lineup for Thursday afternoon's series finale against the Cubs. Buxton left Wednesday night's game an inning after being hit by a 98 mile-per-hour fastball on the top of his left hand. The good news is he appears to have avoided a significant injury.

Byron Buxton was held out of Thursday afternoon’s game against the Cubs, a day after he suffered a left hand contusion when he was hit by a pitch. The club remains hopeful that Buxton will not miss an extended period of time,

When the Twins selected Byron Buxton with the second overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, they envisioned a game-changing athlete: a lightning-fast center fielder who could wreak havoc on the basepaths, chase down fly balls few others could, and slap line drives from foul line to foul line. Power was more of a footnote in the scouting report.