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Byron Buxton out at least one month with sprained thumb

Less than two weeks after his major league debut, Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is already headed to the disabled list.

According to manager Paul Molitor, Buxton is expected to be sidelined at least one month after suffering a sprained left thumb during Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox.

By and large, the "year of the prospect" has been a major success for teams who have thrust their next generation superstars into the MLB spotlight this season.

Guys like Joc Pederson of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs aren't just major contributors, they're All-Star candidates playing for postseason contenders. With a couple more months under his belt, Houston's Carlos Correa would likely be in that category as well.

The only real notable exception to the rule might be Buxton. The Minnesota Twins top prospect and consensus top prospect in MLB was off to a rough start, hitting just .189 with five runs scored, two extra-base hits and one stolen base through his first 11 games.

That's not exactly the dynamic impact many were hoping to see from the 21-year-old offensively. Defensively he's been fine, showcasing his range and plus arm with two outfield assists, but he's been clearly overmatched at the plate.

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Of course, such struggles are not entirely unexpected, especially from a player who made the leap directly from Double-A. However, there were additional concerns about his durability following a 2014 season derailed by injury, and now those concerns will only increase with this latest setback.

Initially, Buxton was dealing with a wrist issue that cost him a large chunk of critical developmental time during the 2014 season. Following his return, he was involved in a violent outfield collision that resulted in a concussion. He ended up appearing in just 31 regular season games and 13 games during the Arizona Fall League.

Now he adds the thumb injury to the list. The injury occurred on a headfirst slide while attempting to steal second base. Buxton's left hand got caught underneath his body during the slide and his thumb took the brunt of the damage. It was more a fluke injury than an indication that Buxton is brittle, but three significant injuries in less than 15 months will understandably raise eyebrows while taking a toll on his body.

For his part, Buxton attempted to play through the injury on Wednesday, but struck out in each of his four at-bats

Injuries elsewhere in Minnesota's outfield played a role in Buxton's call up. Aaron Hicks is currently on the disabled list with a strained right forearm. Opening day center fielder Jordan Schafer was recently released while also on the DL. Utility man Danny Santana has been recalled to take Buxton's roster spot.

It's expected that Buxton will rejoin the major league roster when healthy. At that point, it'll be up to him to show he can make adjustments mentally and perhaps more importantly hold up physically.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!