ARLINGTON, TEXAS – The Twins have decided, and Byron Buxton will not be called up following the end of Class AAA Rochester's season, a startling development given that Buxton has been hitting .365 with a .996 on base-plus-slugging percentage since coming off the disabled list Aug. 14 in an apparent attempt to play his way back to the majors.

Twins GM Thad Levine said the desire to ensure Buxton is healthy for 2019, discomfort in the wrist and his performance factored in their decision.

Buxton, because of a migraine, broken left big toe and strained wrist, was limited to 28 games with the Twins this season, during which he hit .156.

Service time also could be a factor, as it keeps Buxton from earning enough time to be a free agent after the 2021 season, pushing it back to 2022.

"I think part of our job is we're supposed to be responsible to factoring service time into every decision we make," Levine said. "I still feel pretty resolute in saying that the other three factors were more present for us in this decisionmaking process than that. We wouldn't been doing our jobs if we weren't at least aware of service-time impacts on decisions we make."

La Velle E. Neal III