Twins recall top prospect Byron Buxton

The Minnesota Twins have recalled outfielder Byron Buxton from Triple-A Rochester and placed Aaron Hicks on the 15-day disabled list, the team announced yesterday:

#MNTwins Roster Move: Hicks (hamstring) is placed on DL & recall @OfficialBuck103, joining the team tomorrow in BAL. pic.twitter.com/KbKd8FPnVF

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 19, 2015

This will be the second stint in the big leagues for Buxton, who was rated as the No. 1 prospect in baseball entering the season by both MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus.

Buxton made his major league debut in June, playing 11 games before injuring his thumb and being placed on the disabled list. In those 11 games, he hit .189/.231/.270 with a double and a triple in 37 at bats. He also struck out 15 times, a rate of 38.5 percent.

That initial call up came from Double-A Chattanooga, but Buxton joined Triple-A Rochester after his DL stint, hitting .400/.441/545 in 55 at bats with the Red Wings, earning another promotion to the Twins.

Buxton is expected to be in the Twins' lineup tonight against Miguel Gonzalez and the Orioles. Notably, it will be the first time Buxton is in the same big league lineup with fellow top prospect Miguel Sano, who was a consensus top 15 prospect in baseball entering the season and has hit .285/.394/.555 with nine home runs in 40 games with the Twins this season. Buxton and Sano represent a large part of the future for the Twins, and now a part of the present, as well.

Despite a losing record at 59-61, the Twins are just four games out of the second wild card in the American League, and are likely hoping Buxton can help provide the spark to chase down the three teams ahead of them for a postseason berth. If he continues his torrid pace from Triple-A he might just be able to do it.