MLB Summer Camp 2020: Latest News on Byron Buxton Injury, More

The Minnesota Twins are "cautiously optimistic" about the status of outfielder Byron Buxton.

The 26-year-old injured his foot during what manager Rocco Baldelli called a misstep while going after a ball in the third inning of a Monday scrimmage.

"He didn't do anything wrong out there today," Baldelli said, per MLB.com's Do-Hyoung Park. "It was just a misstep in the outfield, and that's really the only way I would describe it."

"Regardless of where the injury ends up, those guys have so much respect for Byron that they know the difficulty in dealing with it, the physical part of it, the mental part of it. The initial reaction is not just to get back to work, even though all of our guys will get back to focusing on whatever comes next, their mind is definitely with him and any of their teammates that are dealing with something like that."

If healthy, Buxton is expected to be one of the starting outfielders for one of the American League Central favorites. 

Unfortunately, Buxton has a long history of injuries, and he spent time on the injured list in four different stints in 2019. The sixth-year player has participated in over 100 games just once in his career. 

If the foot injury is not serious, he could be an important piece in the bottom half of Minnesota's order. Buxton produced 30 doubles, 14 stolen bases and 10 home runs in 87 games in 2019.

If Buxton gets on base consistently, he could set up opportunities for Nelson Cruz, Josh Donaldson and others to drive in multiple players on home runs. Minnesota led the majors in home runs last season.

Francisco Lindor Shifting To No. 3 Spot

Minnesota's top competition for the AL Central crown will alter its lineup to benefit one of its top sluggers. 

Cleveland manager Terry Francona told reporters that Francisco Lindor will likely start the 60-game season as the team's No. 3 hitter, per Cleveland.com's Paul Hoynes.

"I think we're probably going to hit him third," Francona said. "That would be my sneaking suspicion. We may end up lining up those four switch-hitters one, two, three, four."

The shift down two spots from the leadoff position could allow Cleveland to take more advantage of Lindor's power. 

Lindor has three straight 30 home run seasons and produced at least 170 hits in each of the last four campaigns.

Cesar Hernandez and Jose Ramirez are likely to hit in front of Lindor, with Carlos Santana sitting in the cleanup hole. 

Hernandez put up a career high 171 hits in 2019 with Philadelphia and Ramirez has at least 120 base knocks in every season since 2016.

If Hernandez and Ramirez are consistently on base, Lindor may end up with one of the highest RBI totals in the majors and keep Cleveland above Minnesota in the hunt for the division crown.

Jon Lester Impresses In Scrimmage

Jon Lester turned heads in his first appearance on the mound in a Chicago Cubs scrimmage Sunday.

The southpaw struck out four of the first five batters he faced and lasted 2.1 innings since he kept his pitch count low. 

Cubs catcher Willson Contreras came away impressed with Lester's command and physical shape, per NBC Sports Chicago's Maddie Lee.

"He did really good," Cubs catcher Willson Contreras said of Lester on Monday. "He was commanding all of his pitches. … Yesterday was only a two-inning outing, but from what I saw he's looking in good shape."

Lester has put up five straight 10-win seasons in a Cubs uniform, and he is expected to be vital piece of the rotation alongside Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendriks.

Lester's sharpness may be more important early on in the 60-game season since Jose Quintana suffered a thumb injury.

If Chicago's top three starters deliver quality appearances on a consistent basis, the Cubs could feel confident about their NL Central status, even with some concerns regarding the back end of the rotation while Quintana is out.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference.