The Twins announced that they have placed outfielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list due to right knee inflammation with infielder/outfielder Austin Martin recalled in a corresponding move. Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press was among those to relay the news on X prior to the official announcement.
Buxton departed Wednesday’s game after coming up limping on an attempted steal of second base. After that contest, the club announced that he was dealing with right knee soreness and was going for an MRI. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey says the MRI showed no structural damage, per Helfand on X, and they are hopeful Buxton can return after just 10 days.
While the club is downplaying the severity, there will be some skepticism among fans of the club, given the ongoing health problems of Buxton. Though he’s one of the game’s top talents, staying on the field has been a perpetual challenge. Though he debuted back in 2015, he has only once played more than 92 games in a season, which was back in 2017.
He got into 85 games last year but issues with that right knee prevented him from taking the field, as he stayed in a designated hitter role all year. He ultimately underwent arthroscopic surgery on that knee in October but he felt well enough by January to declare that he would be returning to center field in 2024.
He has played 28 games so far this year, starting in center field for 20 of those, but the offense hasn’t quite been back to his peak levels. He’s hit .250/.300/.391 so far this season for a wRC+ of 99. That’s similar to his showing last year while battling the knee issues, as he hit .207/.294/.438 in 2023 for a wRC+ of 98.
From 2019 to 2022, Buxton hit .258/.316/.558 for a 135 wRC+ while stealing 31 bases and providing excellent center field defense. He spent significant time on the IL during that period but showed what an impact player he can be when everything is clicking right.
The fact that he was healthy enough to take the field this year was an encouraging sign that maybe he could return to that level, but that he’s now dealing with knee problems again is understandably worrying.
Ideally, Buxton will be back in short order and can make some progress in his performance. But until then, the club will be using other options in center field. Willi Castro is in there tonight but they also have Manuel Margot and Martin to help cover that spot.
I didn’t see this coming. Twins fans must be shocked.
10-day IL stint? That’s the shocking part, that seems low…
with ominous knee inflammation… hell hit the 60 or be out for the year before the end of may
Dude would find a way to get hurt working a desk job
Very much a shocker.
Ok stop me if you’ve heard this one before…
“Balsa Wood” Buxton
Byron “fine china” buxton
Oh please. “Fine china” is far more durable.
“LETS GO!!”
“I was born with glass bones and paper skin. Every morning I break my legs, and every afternoon I break my arms, at night I lie awake in agony until my heart attacks put me to sleep.”
He made more money in April than you will ever make in your life.
#truth
Well you say truth, but you actually don’t know that. Clofreesz might be one of the richest people in the U.S. and just likes to comment on this site.
Money doesn’t buy happiness. And maybe I am an heir to a multi-billion dollar company… Just saying!
What does that have to do with anything he said? I don’t think Buxton needs anyone to defend him on a baseball site, doubt he even cares. It’s a SpongeBob quote, not a personal attack on him
It’s a SpongeBob quote? Lol forgive me for not knowing that…..
what if pink is actually Jeff bezos and is allowed to laugh at us for being poor?
I mean it’s fine you don’t know that, not a big deal. Kind of odd that’s what you took away from the comment but to each their own.
I took away what I took from most of the comments here. That weird little losers sitting in mom’s basement feel better when they rip on a guy for being hurt.
Like you are any different MOM. lol
That maybe true, but pretty much anyone else working a 9-5 job is more productive.
lol, exactly. The internet troll police love to say what that dude said. “he makes more money in one day than you do in a lifetime.” well yeahhhh but it still doesn’t mean he’s NOT hurt all the time and is kinda a softy aka a paper doll.
soooo WHO CARES! He’s still as fragile as a 2 year old.
Knee inflamation sounds lame, but I will tell you from experience, that stuff is pain. Also, could be hiding an underlying problem that probably needs surgery.
my thoughts exactly, this is probably no run of the mill 10-day il stint. buxton’s injury issues are compounded by his inability to only dh for his team, he has said himself it is more difficult for him to lock in at the plate if that’s the only time hes getting up in the day, but at this point maybe you should teach him first base to save some of his legs or tell him, we have no choice but to dh you. and if his production slips so be it
This dude needs to retire. He’s the most pathetic pro “athlete” I’ve ever witnessed.
Not sure if it’s lack of pain tolerance, poor training regimen or just a brittle body, but he’s pathetic.
“Lack of pain tolerance, poor training…brittle body”…It’s all of those things actually. Marcus Semien took 750+ plate appearances just last year and no one can convince me he’s not playing thru the injuries, bumps and bruises that guys like Correa, Buxton, Rendon and Kris Bryant routinely go on the IL for. If salaries were tied to games played, these guys would be playing 35% more games.
You cannot tie salaries to games played because what do you do when someone tears an ACL on a play in the outfield, penalize them for effort? Then people are going to be upset for a lack of effort from players. It’s always going to be something.
The easier solution would be stop guaranteeing 100% of player contracts. It’ll never happen, but it would force players to push themselves to be on the field more.
Correa is one of the most reliable and durable players in MLB over the past several years. 2020-2024, Correa ranks 57th in all MLB for games played of 1,445 position players, including when he qualified last year despite playing almost the full season with major foot pain.
Did he go on the IL when you had him on your fantasy team once or something?
Playing through an injury and performing at a subpar level isn’t better than being hurt and having someone play in your place.
He is immensely gifted but can’t stay healthy
pathetic? your comment is pathetic. he can’t help that his body won’t let him play….troll
He can’t help it? If you keep getting hurt dozens of times over and over again.. I’d say something is wrong with your training
Sure he can. It means train better. Guys getting hurt all the time like he is, are a sign that’s he’s not doing the proper training. Simple as that.
You must have all information on Anthony Rendon blocked.
“I don’t understand this. It drives me nuts when I see baseball players get hurt. What is it that you’re doing with yourself physically that you can’t stay healthy playing baseball? Now, you get hit by a pitch or something, that’s different, I get all of that” – ESPN’s Steven A. Smith
I find Stephen A. Smith to be a clown.
“To be a clown”…Normally, so do I. I just thought I’d highlight one of the few times I agreed with Steven A. Smith. After all, even a broken clock is right twice a day.
I just think it’s important to remember it’s a slippery slope when you start making blanket statements like that. Sure, there are guys like Rendon, with no passion for the game that’d probably happily go on the IL with a hangnail. But there are also guys that’ll give you 120% effort on every play, and that type of motor can lead to injuries, too. Generally, I just don’t like being critical of players going on the IL. Everyone needs to do what they feel is best for their own bodies, and they’re listening to paid medical professionals.
I only singled Rendon out as an example because he’s made his feelings very public on baseball.
Yeah Rendon is different. After his comments he deserves the criticism he gets. But like you said some guys play so hard they end up getting hurt.
People forget this but when Bryce Harper first came up he played like Pete Rose. He was non stop all the time it was intense in a way rarely seen. Then he slipped on that wet 1b bag and he never played like that again. And he wasn’t the same player look at his WAR before and after that injury. But he did the smart thing for his career.
Clowns are funny, or reveal life’s truths. Stephen A. Smith is the guy in town who was kicked by the mule and sits on a bench randomly yelling inanity.
@mlb fan
I’m going to play a little devils advocate here, some of those “Mickey mouse” injuries can end up being a big deal when your talking the level of pro sports. I work in construction and those “Mickey mouse” injuries add up quickly. I.e. I twist my ankle so I walk and do things differently because of the pain, but because I shifted things around to keep my ankle from hurting my back is now in pain because of the added stress or what not. I will agree with you on the point that bb players seem to have gotten “softer” over the last 20+ years ( I’m using 20 because that’s how long I’ve been watching bb and understand it)
Now, this is a shocker!
Who won the ‘When will Byron Buxton go on the IL’ pool?
Trout and Buxton both on the IL? I guess it’s safe to say that baseball season has officially arrived.
In other news, water = wet
So you guys have this post copied and saved to save time?
In more shocking news, the sun rose today
Be golfing with Trout in A week.
Buxton is Hicks 2.0. Peripherals give them a WAR number that indicates they’re the most valuable player in baseball if they stayed healthy, so bet on them somehow staying healthy and keep them at a massive discount in the off chance that they stay healthy and overproduce for their salary, thus creating massive surplus value-risk that their limited durability catches up with them both in productivity and overall health and watch the deal become a massive sunk cost.
Dunno how Buxton got an extra $30M guaranteed or how he got all those escalators, but it looks like his deal is gonna work out the same as Hicks’ extension with the Yankees.
Color me shocked! Trout and Buxton in one week. Stanton should be next.
Is this more or less of a shock than Trout going to the DL?
Both Trout and Buxton to the IL? What year is this?
Are any of you old guys commenting never grumpy?
Bugger off!
We are kind of laughing. It’s like a running joke. There will be a few more before the season is over. Twins were so proud to announce that $100 million extension while the rest of baseball was laughing.
I don’t speak for all twins fans but I speak for myself when I say just retire already. It’ll be a wasted 100m but his bat speed is obviously gone. It’s time to admit defeat
Not with that contract. Just hangout on the dl and get paid.
We should start taking bets: at what point in the season will Buxton hit the IL.
And pick how many he will miss and the number of trips to the dl.
So many injuries
Blows my mind
In others news, water is wet.
Flu outbreak – flim at 11.
Buxton must be frustrated – talented guy.
He’s still getting that massive payout from the Twins.
Well,he made it one whole month after proclaiming himself 100 percent healthy lol. Not sure we can consider him one of the best talents in the game anymore, even when he is on the field…:(
The headline should be when he plays
Byron is auditioning for the role of
The Tin Man
in the remake of “The Wizard of Oz”.
Please will everyone stop saying that Buston is one of the games best talents. He is a career .239 hitter , who has played 1 yr. That’s 1 year over 100 games. He stinks
You mispelt Buxton
He stinks
Actually pretty good when he plays but hell I could play good 50 days a year.
Heart of glass, feet of flames
Body made of glass
Death, taxes and Buxton to the dl.
I swear this is the Twins payback for Hrbek pulling Gant’s leg off first base!! lol. Only 4 more years Twins fans. Hang in there.