FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Byron Buxton suffered multiple injuries in 2014 as the maladies piled up. From a strained wrist to a concussion to a broken finger, Buxton seemed to be a frequent victim of the injury bug.
So when the Twins' top prospect was one of several players to go down with the flu early in spring training this month, many people had the same thought: oh no, not again.
Not Buxton, though, who downplayed the two days he missed with the flu. He was back in action Tuesday at the CenturyLink Sports Complex and said he felt good on the field.
"It was just something contagious," Buxton said after Tuesday's workout. "It's taken care of now. Just keep moving forward."
Those previously mentioned injuries limited Buxton to just 31 combined games between High-A Fort Myers and Double-A New Britain. He played just one game at Double-A, and he suffered the concussion during his Rock Cats debut.
Though Buxton lost some valuable experience and development during the 2014 season, he also learned about how to better take care of his body. Most of the injuries were things he couldn't control, but he still has a better grasp on how to stay healthy in 2015.
"It teaches you to know what you're doing," Buxton said of the injuries. "Don't try to overdo it. Stay within your game. Still play hard, still play aggressive, but don't be overaggressive and do stuff that's not you."
Twins manager Paul Molitor doesn't seem too worried about the time Buxton missed last season. Molitor has seen Buxton up close over the past few years, including two years ago as a roving minor league instructor.
Molitor said Buxton's defense has always been arguably his most advanced skill, so missing plenty of time last year didn't hurt that part of his game.
"I don't think there's been any negative effect other than the fact of missed games," he said of Buxton's injuries. "It'll slow your development to some degree. Sometimes it makes you hungrier. You get back out there when something's taken away from you that you have a passion for, your perspective changes."
Buxton's return Tuesday was one of several reasons why the Twins returned to nearly full health. Oswaldo Arcia, Kurt Suzuki and Trevor May all were back in action after missing Monday's workout, and none reported any problems following Tuesday's activities. Outfielder Jordan Schafer has also been battling the flu bug. He said early Tuesday that he planned to run a bit to see how he felt, but Molitor said Schafer remains the only player not fully back into the swing of things.
"Probably our best health day in four or five (days)," Molitor said. "(Schafer) tried to go for a bit. It didn't work out too well. . . . I had my eye on Buxton particularly because I had him scheduled to play (Wednesday). I wanted to see how he responded after missing a couple days, and he's fine."
Berrios, Gibson penciled in for starts: Wednesday's game that Molitor alluded to is the Twins' exhibition against the University of Minnesota baseball team. The Twins' first-year manager said Tuesday that right-hander Jose Berrios will start Wednesday's game, while right-hander Kyle Gibson will start Thursday in the Grapefruit League opener against the Boston Red Sox at Hammond Stadium.
Following Berrios on Wednesday will be Twins closer Glen Perkins, who pitched two seasons for the Gophers before Minnesota drafted him. He'll be followed by Mark Hamburger, Ryan Pressly and Michael Tonkin, whom Molitor hopes to get two innings each out of in Wednesday's game.
The Twins also released a list of starting pitchers for the team's upcoming games past Thursday. Left-hander Tommy Milone will start Friday against Tampa Bay, followed by Phil Hughes on Saturday vs. Boston, Ervin Santana on Sunday against Baltimore and right-hander Ricky Nolasco on Monday at Pittsburgh.
Molitor opines on roster: Of the biggest responsibilities Molitor will have this spring in his first year as a manager will be picking the roster of 25 players that will break camp with the Twins to start the season.
Some spots are a lock -- Joe Mauer at first base, Kurt Suzuki as the starting catcher, Brian Dozier at second -- but others are not. That includes the backup catcher, the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation, and a few bullpen jobs. But one thing Molitor will have to figure out with regards to his roster is how many pitchers he'll want to keep. In the past, the Twins fluctuated between 12 and 13 pitchers, the latter of which left Minnesota with a short bench.
By the sound of it, Molitor already has his mind made up on that matter.
"I think I have a vision. Things can change. I don't want to take more than 12 pitchers," Molitor said. "I know sometimes teams -- depending on how that schedule stacks up early and the makeup of who you have. I don't want to be hamstrung right out of the chute positionally and only have three guys. Right now I'm picturing 12 pitchers."
Molitor's predecessor, Ron Gardenhire, was also not afraid to keep three catchers on the roster as an insurance policy. Often times, at least one of those catchers was capable of playing multiple positions, but there were several instances where the Twins did have three catchers on the 25-man roster.
It's unlikely Molitor will do the same, he said Tuesday.
"I imagine that I'm only going to keep two," Molitor said. "If somehow somebody gets in the mix that has more versatility, those are things that you're going to have to consider depending on how the rest of your backup players play out. Four outfielders, five outfielders, you know, one utility guy in the infield, two utility guys? That will affect how that works.
Twins sign 25 players: Minnesota announced Tuesday that it has agreed to terms with 25 players. The signings are more of a formality, but it means all 40 players on the 40-man roster are now under contract for the 2015 season.
Among the notable names included in the recent deals are second baseman Brian Dozier, right-hander Kyle Gibson, third baseman Miguel Sano, outfielder Oswaldo Arcia and shortstop Danny Santana.
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