Donaldson off, Kirilloff on Twins’ wild-card roster

Josh Donaldson will not play in the Minnesota Twins’ best-of-three series against Houston, which begins Tuesday at Target Field.

The slugger was left off the Twins’ 28-man roster for the wild-card round clash with the Astros. Donaldson missed Minnesota’s final two games of the regular season with a strained calf.

Outfielder Byron Buxton, who was removed from Friday’s game after getting hit by a pitch in the helmet and also did not play Saturday or Sunday, was listed on the roster.

Another big surprise for the Twins was outfielder/first baseman Alex Kirilloff joining the club. Kirilloff, who is ranked as the Twins’ No. 2 overall prospect by MLB.com, has yet to make his MLB debut. He could do so in the postseason.

In 2019, Kirilloff batted .283/.343/.413 with nine homers and 43 RBI for Double-A Pensacola. He started 41 games in right field, 35 games at first base and eight contests in left field.

Marwin Gonzalez will bat ninth and play third base in Game 1 for the Twins. Rookie Ryan Jeffers will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

Tune in to FOX Sports North for a one-hour edition of “Twins Live” at 12 p.m., and again after the game for a full recap and reaction from the clubhouse.

MINNESOTA TWINS 28-MAN WILD CARD ROSTER

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