With Twins center fielder Byron Buxton on the shelf at least a month with a sprained thumb, Aaron Hicks has moved back into center and produced.
"He knows there are some people crawling up here," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "We have (Eddie) Rosario, who is playing OK. We have Buxton, who is sitting in that clubhouse as a true center fielder. (Hicks) knows what he can do. It's competition. It's urgency. It's his time. Let's go."
Hicks doubled Tuesday and homered in consecutive games Sunday and Monday. He made a stunning over-the-head catch in deep center-field to save starting pitcher Phil Hughes on Monday.