Buxton hits in cage, will travel with Twins

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, who is rehabbing after suffering a hairline fracture to his left big toe, will join the club on its road trip to Chicago, St. Louis and Anaheim, manager Paul Molitor said Wednesday.
Buxton, who suffered the injury on a foul ball off his foot during a rehab game with Class A Advanced Fort Myers on April 22, hit in the cages on Tuesday, but has yet to progress to running.
"I watched him take some swings yesterday in the cage and he looked pretty good," Molitor said. "But how much he's able to do running-wise, that's a big part of how long this is going to take. We're going to take him along on the trip to monitor him and see where he's at day by day."
Buxton remains on the 10-day disabled list, as he was originally placed there after suffering migraines during the Puerto Rico Series on April 17. Buxton is expected to have to tolerate some pain once he returns, but the Twins also want to make sure there's no risk of further injury.
"We're hoping to get to a point where the risk factor is close to non-existent unless he hits another one off the same spot," Molitor said. "We don't want him to have any setbacks, but I don't know what level he needs to be to be effective. A little bit of it will be how much we can monitor the pain once he gets to the point where he's an option to play."
Outside of his one rehab game with Fort Myers, Buxton hasn't played since April 12. The Twins have gone 2-12 in his absence, entering Wednesday. Considering how long he's been out, he could need another rehab assignment before he returns, but there remains a chance they just plug him back into the lineup to try to bring a spark to the scuffling Twins.
"It's a good discussion," Molitor said. "We'll see how he looks as we get closer and if we want to put him in there right away. It's to be determined."
Worth noting
• Right-hander Trevor May, who is coming off last year's Tommy John surgery in March, threw three innings and 46 pitches in an extended Spring Training game on Tuesday. He's expected to continue to get stretched out before beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester. He's eligible to return from the 60-day DL on May 28.
• Right-hander Michael Pineda, who is also coming off Tommy John surgery last July, shifted his rehab from Fort Myers to Target Field. He's making good progress and remains on track to return late in the season, Molitor said. But he's yet to throw off a mound as part of his rehab process.