Byron Buxton Continues To Be A Leader While On IL | Twins Hope to Get Star Back Soon
The Minnesota Twins are in a battle in the AL Central. This team has a strong chance to make the postseason and it could potentially come down to the final game of the regular season.
Right now, the team is without All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton.
Buxton, an important piece to this team, has not played since August 22 as he suffered a strained right hip which put him on the injured list.
This was the first time this season that the centerfielder landed on the IL and it could not have come at a worse time. Despite his absence on the field, Buxton continues to show his leadership qualities while he’s away from the game. It’s not easy being unable to play and help your team succeed, especially in a situation like this, with the postseason on the line.
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But Buxton continues to keep his composure and have a positive presence, because he knows his teammates are looking at him and he’s a leader on the team. He knows his energy is contagious throughout the clubhouse and he’s going to keep a positive mindset while he’s on the IL.
“It was something that just kind of stuck with me the last couple days, watching us play, and it didn’t look like we were smiling, being positive, having fun like we normally would,” Buxton said in an article from mlb.com. “So that’s something I feel like I can bring back, turn it around, even if I’m not playing.”
It’s important that Buxton gets back to full strength because the Twins can’t afford to lose him again at any point this season. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli believes that Buxton will be in a better position when he returns from the IL.
“He’s probably, hopefully, going to be in a better spot when he comes off the IL than where he’s been for about four and a half months,” he said. “He’s probably going to be feeling better. Do I know that? I don’t know that with certainty, but I’m hopeful of that, and I think it’s realistic.”
There’s no exact date on his return, but Buxton could potentially return to the lineup sometime this weekend or maybe before.
On the season, Buxton is hitting .224 with 28 home runs and 51 RBI. Buxton will need to return to the Twins lineup and help bring that spark that he’s provided throughout the season if they hope to slide into the playoffs.
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