Another year, another injury for MLBbro Byron Buxton.
Minnesota Twins fans had nightmare flashbacks when their former All-Star center fielder left the game with soreness in his right knee, aggravated by an attempted steal of second base.
Buxton would slow down midway through the attempted theft and was gunned down and had to leave the game.
This was not a good sign for a ball club who just had two key players in Carlos Correa and Jhoan Duran return to the lineup only to lose another.
Big Bux Is Always Hurt: Minnesota Not The Same Without Him
A recurring theme in his career, the MLBbro has often battled with injuries. Since he has been playing for the Twins in 2015, their record with him is 380-318.
The team is 317-371 without him, which shows how crucial he has been to overall team success during his tenure. Buxton’s issue has never been his play on the field, it’s the ability to be on the field consistently.
Manager Rocco Baldelli did not want to focus on the injury, having faith that it will be minor and not detrimental to Buxton’s overall health and long-term availability. The team got a much needed off day on Thursday which gave them time to get some imaging done on his knee.
Buxton signed a 7-year/ $100,000,000 contract with the Minnesota Twins back in 2021. It included a $1,000,000 signing bonus and $100,000,000 guaranteed.
The front office of the Twins would not be wrong to be somewhat frustrated with the Buxton experience. Last year the team went as far as to play him more often at DH to avoid injury chances, but still there was some damage done and as a result in October of last year he underwent a knee procedure.
To add literal insult to injury, MLB umpire Rob Drake was noticeably seen yelling at the MLBbro to get off the field after it was very apparent that he had been hurt.
This presumably led to Buxton declining comment after the game. Overall, this was a rough experience for not only the MLBbro, but the entire Twins’ fan base. Hopefully the knee injury is minor, and Buxton can return soon.
LOS ANGELES – The Minnesota Twins have hit a dry spell, with their lead man at the center of it.
Byron Buxton, who made his first All-Star appearance this year as a starter, just got placed on the 10 day injured list (a very familiar place throughout his career) with a strain in his right hip.
He entered the first year of his seven-year, $100 million extension last offseason. The year was filled with high expectations, and with the signing of superstar shortstop Carlos Correa, this was expected to be an electric duo to elevate Minnesota the top of the AL Central.
Everything was going as planned at the beginning. In his first 24 games of the season, Buxton was doing his part, as he was batting .256, with 11 home runs, 20 RBI, and only struck out 28 times. He had a .323 on-base percentage, and .678 slugging percentage during the stretch. People were calling him the early MVP and the Twins were able to get off to a lead in the division race.
The last 68 games, however, have mostly been mediocre. While his hot start earned him the All-Star spot, as well as being tied for third in the AL in home runs with 28, the rest of the numbers have not been great. And now he is back on the IL, and the Twins have fallen out of first place and are now outside of the playoffs looking in.
Rocco Baldelli, manager of the Twins, talked about this unfortunate news but also how this time away will be beneficial for Buxton.
“It’s very tough news, of course, but also knowing with what Buck’s been dealing with, there wasn’t actually much of a decision to be made…His knee has [also] been a fairly consistent issue since April, so I think this period of time will help that also settle down.”
His recurring knee injury and now the hip injury is problematic. The trip to the IL could not have come at a worse time, with Minnesota fighting for their playoff lives.
Buxton has all the tools in the world to become a superstar in this game. He can hit for power, he has got lightning speed, and he is the best defensive outfielder in the MLB. So why is he not a superstar? It all has to do with the injuries.
Big Bux Can’t Stay Healthy
Sure, players will get hurt throughout the season, as they have to play 162 games, but at this point, with him being 28 years old, entering his prime, and being the face of the franchise, it is getting a little ridiculous how often he’s out.
Throughout his minor league and his major league career, Buxton constantly gets hurt and spends a good chunk of time on the IL. Whether that’s from sacrificing his body by making ridiculous catches, or just his body giving out. It seems like every time something good is going for him, a new injury brings it to a halt.
If Buxton ever wants to reach that superstar billing, he needs to figure out a way to try and avoid these injuries and have more longevity for the rest of his career. Maybe a new trainer or diet or something. Because if he doesn’t, 20 years down the road he is going to be talked about as a “what could’ve been” player.
Byron Buxton is set to begin his rehab stint in Triple-A St. Paul with the hopes of returning to the Big League club this weekend. Buxton has been seen running at 100 percent. If all goes well, he should return to the Twins’ lineup for their weekend series in Minnesota against Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros.
He will look to reclaim the starting job in centerfield for the American League All-Star team and put his name back in the conversation for Most Valuable Player.
Buxton came out the gate throwing harder haymakers than Ali to begin this season. It seemed he had finally put all five tools together as he hit .370 with nine home runs, 17 RBI and five stolen bases in his first 24 games of the year.
In April, he was awarded the AL Player of the Month Award after batting .426 with a .466 On Base Percentage, eight home runs, 14 RBI, 15 Runs Scored and three steals. He also set Twins’ franchise records for March and April in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.
His defensive play in centerfield had him on his way to winning the first Gold Glove of his career. On May 6, Buxton hit a grounder to the shortstop in the late innings of what would end up being a loss to the Texas Rangers.
Buxton has always been a hustler as he has beaten out multiple routine plays throughout his career.
This time as Buxton crossed first base it was apparent something was wrong. He did not return to the game and ended up having a Grade 2 right hip strain, which put him on the Injured List for the last 30 games.
His absence has truly shown how valuable Buxton truly is to Minnesota. Buxton had a Wins Above Replacement rating of 2.7 before his injury, good for third in MLB. Marcus Semien, who won the AL Player of the Month for May, is tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for first in the American League with a WAR of 3.1.
The Twins were sitting in first before Buxton went down and since then are 13-17 and have fallen into last place, 12 games behind the first-place White Sox in the AL Central.
Buxton is returning just in time to have his name in conversations to be at this year’s All-Star Game next month in Denver. Fan voting determines the starting lineup for each division while the managers decide on the rest of the rosters.
I believe the fans will handle their business and vote Buxton as the centerfield starter despite him missing time with a few injuries this season.
The All-Star Game is a collection of the greatest talent in the sport, and fans will be cheated if they are not able to see Buxton chase down balls in centerfield while hitting home runs out of the launching pad that is Coors Field.
Finally, the Chicago White Sox saw Tim Anderson in the lineup and not just on the cover of his video game. The White Sox resident batting champ and web gem manufacturer returned from a 10-day bit on the injured list in time to strap up for Jackie Robinson Day with #42 on his back Thursday afternoon.
Anderson is one of the MLB bros who have been sidelined with injuries after returning from the warmth of spring training in the sunbelt to the arctic refrigerators of the north. For years players – like Anderson — appear to be ready to hit the season in high gear only to be physically throttled down by strains and pulls that accompany opening games on the frozen tundra.
Nothing says to the Boys of Summer, “let’s get back to work” like night games on Lake Michigan in early April.
In his return from the pale hose M*A*S*H unit Anderson was 2-for-5 and scored once as the White Sox lost to the Cleveland Indians 4-3. Perhaps it was the time spent with the joystick that jump-started the big stick at the plate. Before the injury, he was hitting .200. Friday’s game against Boston was rained out so let’s see how the charismatic face of MLB for Nike does next time out.
Another early-season casualty is Minnesota’s Byron Buxton who was not in Rocco Baldelli’s lineup for a third straight day as the Twins handled their business against the Boston Red Sox and beat them in a Jackie Robinson Day matinee’ 4-3. Buxton is dealing with what is being called hamstring tightness and the move appears cautionary.
Still, another body trying to adapt to the colder weather after a short regular season followed by what may be considered a rushed offseason, Buxton’s setback is another that could be attributed to the weather.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, $150M, free agent acquisition George Springer is still sidelined. After starting the season on the injured list because of a Grade 2 oblique strain, Springer is currently dealing with a quad injury he incurred last week while running. That’s bad news because it seemed as if Springer was close to game action before the quad issue popped up. He’s missed the first 13 games and Toronto (6-7) sits three games behind 9-4 Boston.
Seattle swept a doubleheader on Jackie Robinson Day and are sitting atop the AL West at 8-5 entering Friday night’s game. Surprisingly, they’ve done all of this without their 2020 AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis.
Lewis was expected to have an MVP-type season in centerfield for Seattle, but a deep bone bruise has him sidelined since the beginning of the season.
The Seattle Mariners have gotten very little offensive production from their center fielders in Lewis’ absence. Mariners centerfielders have hit .139 with 21 strikeouts in 36 at-bats this season, entering Thursday. Backup, Taylor Trammel has shown flashes of brilliance but has also been largely overwhelmed by MLB pitching.
Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said Thursday that the team is “very optimistic” centerfielder Lewis will play during Seattle’s two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which begins Monday.
Let’s hope so because we can’t have our elite Black Knights on the sidelines. There are already too few of them in the game.
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