On Wednesday the Minnesota Twins lost Byron Buxton after he was hit on the hand in the first inning. Initially he stayed in to steal a base and score a run. Initial testing determined a break was unlikely. Imaging confirmed as much, but precaution with such a talent makes sense.
On Thursday for their day game in a series finale against the Chicago Cubs (in which they lost 8-1) Byron Buxton was not in the lineup. Fortunately it sounds like any serious cause for concern can be quelled.
Minnesota Twins Byron Buxton still on track for All-Star festivities
Maybe the MN Twins would have knocked off the Cubs on Thursday had Byron Buxton been in the leadoff spot. The ache in his hand after being plunked by Cade Horton was worth exercising caution over though. It does sound like the Twins All-Star centerfielder is still good to go for both the game and Home Run Derby in Atlanta next week.
“Well a little bit of a scary moment. He took a fastball to the hand the other day and it looked like maybe the might hinder him but X-rays came back negative. I’m told that he’s going to be fine, barring an unforeseen setback. He’s going to be ready to go…We are finally seeing fully unlocked Byron Buxton. It’s because he finally had a normal offseason. When the season began we were seeing the premium defense, the elite speed, the power. As the season started to go on the strike zone started to shrink a little bit more. So now we’re seeing the patience at the plate, especially in June, started drawing a lot more walks. This is the Byron Buxton that we had always envisioned. The fact that he’s going to do this close to where he grew up is just a great culmination for him.”
Alden Gonzalez – ESPN
As Gonzalez notes, something like a hit-by-pitch taking away Buxton this season would have been hard to swallow. His 3.3 fWAR leads the Twins. It should have landed him as the starting center fielder for the American League All-Star Game (yes, we’re looking at you Javy Baez).
Buxton’s health has been his bugaboo for the entirety of his career. 75 games in this season he owns a .270/.338/.544 slash line with 20 big flies and a perfect 17-for-17 on stolen base attempts. This type of production is what we have always seen in small bursts. Getting to enjoy it while seeing him smile through a clean bill of health has been nothing short of perfection.
The All-Star Game, his second, taking place in Atlanta, Georgia will mean more. The Baxley, Georgia native has a chance to impact the Mid-Summer Classic again (after hitting the go-ahead home run in Los Angeles during the 2022 game). This time he’ll get to put on a show during the Home Run Derby as well.
Seeing any sort of health-related setback take away this opportunity for him would have been more devastating than just the regular season ramifications for the Minnesota Twins. Buxton didn’t dodge a bullet, or a baseball, but it’s a positive he appears to have come out of the incident relative unscathed.
The Twins are back in action on Friday as they host Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fellow All-Star Joe Ryan is on the bump, and rapper Nelly will take the stage postgame.
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