When he’s healthy, Byron Buxton is the heart and soul of the Minnesota Twins. Unfortunately, far too often, the Platinum Glove-winning center fielder has been sidelined due to injury. In fact, the Twins tried to get around the issue by removing the outstanding outfielder from center and using him strictly as a designated hitter all season long.
In some aspects, this method has worked, as Buxton has played in 85 games this season, his second-most since 2019, but he also hasn’t been able to make the same impact at the plate. After combining to hit .257 with an OPS of .903 from 2021-22, Buxton is hitting just .207 with an OPS of .731 this season.
Making matters worse, he’s also injured again and has been sidelined since August 1. However, Buxton had been working his way back to the diamond and even returned to playing the outfield again for the team’s Triple-A affiliate on Wednesday. Yet, before Buxton could make his way back to MLB, he suffered another setback in his rehab with the St. Paul Saints.
Buxton wasn’t even playing the outfield when his latest incident occurred. Instead, Buxton was back as a designated hitter on Friday but would have to be removed from the game after experiencing soreness in the patella tendon of his right knee.
Prior to his injury, Buxton appeared in line to rejoin the Twins as they seek an AL Central division title. But now that plan is once again complicated by another injury. The Twins are expected to provide an update on Buxton’s status at some point today.
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