Major League Baseball announced that Byron Buxton has been approved as a substitute for Alex Kirilloff on the Twins’ roster before this evening’s Game 4 against the Astros. Kirilloff was removed from yesterday’s game with a shoulder injury, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic).
Buxton landed on the injured list with a hamstring strain in early August, and recurring knee trouble has kept him on the shelf ever since. He began a rehab assignment in late September, and following the conclusion of the minor league season, he continued to train with the Twins in hopes of making his return. Ultimately, the star center fielder was left off the ALDS roster, as he had not yet progressed to running the bases by the start of the series.
Balldelli explained that Buxton still isn’t back to full strength, but he is healthy enough to help the team in “smaller spurts” (as relayed by Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune). If nothing else, he should be available to pinch hit, so the Twins must feel the 29-year-old is ready to run the bases if need be. A former Gold and Platinum Glove winner, Buxton has been preparing to return to the outfield after spending the 2023 season as a designated hitter. However, if he isn’t 100% healthy, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be playing the field against the Astros.
Kirilloff missed approximately six weeks in the summer dealing with a shoulder strain but seemed healthy upon his return, slashing .273/.311/.455 with a 107 wRC+ over his final 18 games. Unfortunately, Baldelli says the shoulder strain has come back, and it has been affecting the first baseman’s swing. He has gone 0-for-9 with two walks thus far in the playoffs. It reached a point on Tuesday when the lefty could no longer swing at all, and he was replaced with a pinch hitter in the sixth inning.
Should his shoulder trouble subside, Kirilloff will be eligible to return for the World Series, presuming the Twins advance that far. Donovan Solano, who replaced him at first base last night, will get the start in Game 4 this evening, and Baldelli says he’ll be the primary first baseman going forward. Edouard Julien, who is in tonight’s lineup as the designated hitter, could also play first, potentially freeing up the DH spot for Buxton. Utility man Kyle Farmer can also play first base.
When healthy, Kirilloff was an important bat for the Twins this season, hitting 11 home runs in 88 games and posting career highs in all three triple-slash categories. However, due to his shoulder problems, he’s been a bit of a black hole in the lineup during the playoffs. Solano has been a dependable contact hitter for years, and he posted a career-best .369 on-base percentage this season in his first campaign with Minnesota. It should help to have his bat in the lineup as the Twins face elimination throughout the rest of the ALDS. Buxton is more of a wild card – it’s hard to know what to expect from the former All-Star after so much time off – but at his best, he’s a major power threat and a valuable asset on the bases.
Kiriloff and Wallner have looked lost. 50% Buxton might be an improvement
Until another injury… didn’t he hit like .220? So 50% would equal .110. Man, this guy is so overrated
Yeah. The injury was diagnosed as bad defense.
Caught a little Buckner disease yesterday?
Would this be a phantom IL then?
Probably the wrist again:(
It’s a shoulder injury.
x.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1712201711316541576?s=20
The “undisclosed injury” is due to a hole in his swing. 0-9 with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks so far this postseason
This smells fishy. Seriously?
Perhaps an MLB investigation is forthcoming..
Maybe, but MLB specifically approved it.
The MLB wants stars on the brightest stages. Buxton could deliver a mini Kirk Gibson type moment. They would approve this move if the Twins provided even a crayon drawn justification. “Ouchy, lots, big hurts for 1B shoulder. No no. We do Buxton for replace? Yes? Okay, good? Thank you!”
“Kirk Gibson moment” … tell me you’re not serious without telling me you’re not serious
Interesting. If he plays in center it will be even more interesting
He’s not starting, but it will be very interesting to see how (if at all) they use him. Houston has zero lefty relievers, so one obvious use of a RH pinch-hitter is not there.
Using Buxton as a pinch-hitter without getting the platoon advantage also seems to have limited utility since when he’s not going well, he has pretty iffy plate discipline, so there’s a lot of downside in expecting him to extend a rally.
So maybe there will be a pinch-hitting spot with fewer than two outs where they like the matchup of his power and speed against whoever is pitching? Or maybe they just judge him to be a healthier player for the bench than Kirilloff at this point?
If he can run, defensive replacement for Wallner comes to mind.
Possibly, but hasn’t he been a DH all season?
Iffy plate discipline and an opposing pitcher with high chase rate stats – not an ideal place to use him honestly
Buxton got hurt right after hearing the news.
Any reporter who makes this announcement is remiss in not speculating who will replace Buxton when he inevitably can’t go. Will be academic when HOU closes them out, I guess.
Gig on the whole season, it felt “Generic,” top to bottom-nicest players, seemed like, no doubt. To Falvey and Levine’s credit, their minor league hitting coaches were/became the best in decades, but they themselves were fundamentally incompetent of understanding the 40 man, the payroll,in addition to the MLB coaching staff.The generic/patchwork/artificial “Feel” was all about those two geniuses. Also time for that Big St Pete talking head to retire. They’ll be on the hook, mind you, also, for the genius signings of Correa and Buxton for nearly $300m into the future years. Hopefully the misers bring in two new Lebowskis, but it’ll take five years, minimum, sad to say, to rebuild. This is organization is a TRAiNWRECK.