MINNEAPOLIS -- The reinforcements have arrived.

The slumping Twins, mired in a six-game skid, badly need a jolt. Perhaps the arrivals of Michael Pineda and Byron Buxton on Tuesday can provide some of the energy they need.

As expected, Pineda was activated from the restricted list ahead of his start against the White Sox on Tuesday night, and the Twins also got an important right-handed bat and clubhouse focal point back when they activated Buxton off the 10-day injured list ahead of a matchup against White Sox left-hander Dallas Keuchel at Target Field.

"[Pineda is] also a big part of our clubhouse as well," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "So a lot of the guys are kind of pumped up for him, to see him back out on the mound. And there's no way to oversell the meaning of having Buck back in the lineup for us. He’s just a guy that does it on both sides of the ball. His value is very very clear and in your face when you look at what he does for us whenever he's out there."

The Twins designated reliever Juan Minaya for assignment and optioned outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. in corresponding moves.

Buxton hadn't been doing much with the bat before he went on the IL with left shoulder inflammation, with five homers and a .221/.225/.456 slash line over 21 games, but the value of his defense and the simple presence of another right-handed bat will be important for a lineup that has struggled mightily against left-handed pitching this season.

In 2019, the Twins led MLB with an .872 OPS against southpaws. This season, they rank 23rd with a .654 mark.

Minnesota isn't done getting healthy just yet. Josh Donaldson is expected to come off the injured list and rejoin the team in the next two days, per Baldelli, adding another big right-handed bat to a lineup in need of pop. Mitch Garver could also round out the hitting help sometime in September.

The energy boost of having Buxton back on the field could also be important for a team that has seemed rather flat amid this losing streak, to the point where a pair of mental lapses on defense -- a missed opportunity by Luis Arraez to turn two (or maybe three) and a dropped routine fly ball by Max Kepler -- directly led to the Twins' loss to Chicago on Monday night.

"You wonder, do you win a bunch of games first and then have fun? Or is it the personality and looseness that comes first, and then the playing well and winning really come after that?" Baldelli said. "We have a group that is about as relaxed as you can imagine in baseball. We have a group that usually does that. And right now when you’re not playing well, it’s easy to get a little tired and you see a lack of ... it’s not enthusiasm, but it’s just guys enjoying themselves."

Pineda was one of the Twins' most consistent starters last season before he incurred a 60-game suspension in September due to a positive test for a banned diuretic. He was good for five or six innings and three or fewer runs allowed just about every time on the mound, posting a 4.01 ERA with 140 strikeouts and 28 walks in 146 innings in 2019.

"These are two guys -- and we obviously have others -- but two guys that our group has been waiting to see back out there," Baldelli said.