As expected, Byron Buxton will not be available for the Wild Card round of the 2023 MLB postseason. The Twins revealed their postseason roster on Tuesday morning, and the All-Star outfielder/DH was a notable omission. Buxton has not played in a major league game since August 1, although he attempted a couple of brief rehab stints at Triple-A in August and September. The former Gold Glover is dealing with a strained hamstring in addition to ongoing trouble with his right knee.
Reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press) noticed Buxton wasn’t on the field yesterday for a team workout, which was a strong indication he wouldn’t be ready to play on Tuesday. Presumably, he will continue to prepare in hopes he can rejoin the team later in October, should the Twins advance.
In happier news, both Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa were named to the postseason roster. Neither had played since mid-September. Correa confirmed on Monday he would be ready to go for the Wild Card round, but Lewis was less optimistic. Thankfully for Minnesota, the two-time All-Star and the rookie sensation have both been cleared to play. The Twins could use all hands on deck as they look to break their 18-game postseason losing streak.
In other injury news from the AL postseason field…
- In unfortunate but not entirely surprising news, Luke Raley has been left off the Rays’ roster for the first round of the playoffs. The breakout slugger for Tampa Bay hasn’t played since September 20 after suffering a cervical strain a few days prior. The team could surely use his lefty bat against the Rangers, but with limited space on the postseason roster, the Rays weren’t going to rush him back until he could contribute on a daily basis (according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). In better news for Tampa Bay, Jose Siri will be available for the Wild Card round. The power-hitting center fielder hasn’t played since he fractured his hand on September 11.
- Right-handed reliever Jonathan Hernández has been left off the Rangers’ roster for the Wild Card round as he nurses a shoulder injury. In 33 games this year, he pitched to a 5.40 ERA and a 4.11 SIERA in 31 2/3 innings. However, he looked much better in September following an optional assignment to Triple-A, posting a 2.89 ERA and a 2.67 SIERA in eight appearances. In other Rangers news, Ezequiel Duran has also been left off the roster, although not for injury-related reasons. The young utility player started the season off strong but struggled down the stretch, slashing .206/.229/.265 over the final month of the year.
Hernandez is quite bad. Duran should have been dumped off at the deadline for a reliever while he had value. Sewald for Duran would have been nice
yeah because the Mariners would have traded him in division.
Heim and Khris Davis for Andrus happened. The Astros were also willing to make an in-division trade. It’s rare but possible. They needed hitting badly, and Texas needed bp help badly. Besides, Seattle had basically given up on the playoffs by the deadline. They weren’t in win-now mode until it was too late.
Yeah I’m sure Seattle would have jumped at that trade offer.
Buck needs to play the field. His bat clearly suffered from DHing. Lewis and Correa also disliked it. Not all players can get up 4-5 times a game and not be involved in the rest of it.
Good to have some reinforcements on the team. Pitching on paper should do better than Toronto.
Buxton has the body of an elite athlete, but the durability of a 68 year old man.
He’s like frosted flakes. They’re great, but after a bit of milk, the structural integrity quickly disappears.
You mean the same Carlos Correa with a 1.1 fWAR in 580 PAs? They’re better without him.
You mean the brittle, injury-prone guy who a couple years ago said he was better than HOFamer Derek Jeter?…
Correa wasn’t wrong. He was better than Jeter a couple years ago. Jeter was in his mid-40’s by then.
Gotta figure out why the offseason surgery did not fix Buxton. He’s been hurting all year
you mean his whole career
I didn’t win my “Draft Kings” prop bet that Byron Buxton would play all 162 games, I get it, ok?…Why do people have to keep rubbing it in?
This is what happens to twins fans during the curse
I doubt there’s much truth to some joker of a writer who said “Sources say….” a couple articles ago that Sam Kennedy could target Thad Levine for POBO in Boston, but Byron Buxton is reasons #1 through #806 why I don’t want him in Boston
Royce Lewis is a substantial X-factor in the playoffs. He has some clutch qualities that remind me of the late Kirby Puckett. It’s early in his career, but the playoffs are often where stars are born. 4 grand slams in half of a season and an infectious energy and smile makes the players around him better.
I don’t mind that Correa is back either. He was heating up before the injury and rest probably helps him. He is not the X Factor like Lewis, but he won’t hurt the team being back.
Buxton is better off getting healthy. I am ok with him off the roster.
Keep an eye on Eddie Julien. He is from Canada and I sense can put on a show in the big stage.
Bingo, nice post
The Twins won today. Because they finally weren’t playing cheaters.
The mighty AL East… will each team get swept from the playoffs again?
SWEEP!!!!
Went past me.