Twins utilityman lands on IL after fouling ball off leg

Twins utilityman Nick Gordon was diagnosed with a fractured right shin after fouling a ball off his leg during Wednesday’s loss to the Dodgers, according to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. He’ll be placed on the 10-day injured list and seems likely to be out well beyond the minimal stint.

Gordon’s 2023 campaign began with an injury scare. He suffered a right high ankle sprain in spring training but recovered quickly enough to avoid a season-opening IL stay. He’s had a slow start from a performance perspective, though, hitting only .176/.195/.319 over 93 trips to the plate. It has been a disappointing follow-up to a productive .272/.316/.427 showing in a career-high 443 plate appearances for the former fifth overall pick.

Manager Rocco Baldelli has bounced Gordon around the diamond. He’s seen a decent number of innings at each of center field, left field and second base. With Byron Buxton working as a designated hitter as part of Minnesota’s efforts to keep him healthy, the lefty-swinging Gordon has gotten the strong side of a platoon arrangement with right-handed Michael A. Taylor in center field of late.

Gordon’s injury figures to open more playing time for the glove-first Taylor in center field. He’s off to a .231/.286/.404 start to his Twins’ tenure. Donovan Solano and Willi Castro can play multi-positional infield roles off the bench. That could take on particular importance considering second baseman Jorge Polanco also came out of Wednesday’s game with an injury.

Polanco told reporters postgame he has a mild strain of his left hamstring, via Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. The team will reevaluate after Thursday's off day to determine whether he might require an IL stay. The switch-hitting infielder lost some time at the start of the season rehabbing from a 2022 knee issue. He’s been off to a quality .284/.327/.484 start since returning.

Gordon wasn’t the only Minnesota player to foul a ball off his leg this afternoon. Outfielder Joey Gallo had an early departure after hitting one off his own shin. He said after the game that X-rays were negative but noted there was quite a bit of swelling in the area (Helfand link). He’s day-to-day and figures to test things out again on Friday. Gallo missed a bit of time due to an intercostal strain, but he’s already slugged 10 homers after signing a one-year free-agent deal over the winter.