Twins injuries could greatly benefit Tigers in heated AL Wild Card race

Detroit is just three games back of the Twins, who are still without two of their best bats for the foreseeable future.

Emma Lingan

Kansas City Royals v Minnesota Twins / Brace Hemmelgarn/GettyImages

What once seemed to be an impossibility is now very much within reach from the Detroit Tigers, who have defied all odds and forced themselves into the playoff conversation in September.

With 18 games remaining in the regular season, the Tigers find themselves knotted with the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners in the middle of a tight American League Wild Card race. All three teams are just three games back of the Minnesota Twins for the third and final Wild Card spot, putting the Tigers in striking distance of a trip to the postseason, and a recent injury update out of Minneapolis may have improved Detroit's chances even further.

Twins injuries could greatly benefit Tigers in heated AL Wild Card race

As the Tigers aim to catch the Twins in both the AL Central division standings and the Wild Card race, a pair of Minnesota's star players remain out of the lineup with no set timetable for return.

Outfielder Byron Buxton, who has been on the injured list since Aug. 13 with right hip inflammation, suffered a setback last week that delayed his rehab stint, which was scheduled to begin over the weekend. Buxton's absence from the Twins' lineup is a significant one, as he has slashed .275/.334/.528 with 16 homers over 355 plate appearances this season.

The Twins have also been without another big bat in All-Star infielder Carlos Correa, who is suffering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot, since July 12. Correa had a strong first half, slashing .308/.377/.520 with 13 homers over 317 plate appearances before landing on the injured list.

The Twins are 6-14 over their last 20 games and are currently riding a four-game losing streak, and there is no set timeline for either Buxton or Correa to return. Meanwhile, the Tigers have won 13 of their last 20 and three of their last four. The AL Central rivals don't face each other again this season, but they will certainly be keeping tabs on one another down the stretch as Detroit looks to leapfrog the injury-depleted Twins in the playoff standings.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.