Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton has had the same injury narrative follow him throughout his entire MLB career. Appearing in 46 games in 2015, which was his first taste of MLB action, Buxton then played 92 games in 2016 and a career-high 140 games in 2017. After that season, which brought his first career Gold Glove and earned him down-ballot MVP votes, Buxton did not reach 100 games again until 2024.
Between 2018 and 2023, he appeared in just 392 total games. He was great when available during that stretch, posting an .811 OPS while being among the best defensive center fielders in baseball, but it mattered very little with how often he was sidelined. After eclipsing the 100-game mark again in 2024, Buxton followed it with 126 games in 2025, making it the first time in his professional career he appeared in at least 100 games in consecutive seasons.
Last season was arguably the best of Buxton’s career, as he made the All-Star team again, won a Silver Slugger Award, and finished 11th in AL MVP voting with an .878 OPS, 35 home runs, 83 runs driven in, and 24 stolen bases. So far this season, Buxton has been even better. His OPS is up to .899, which would be the second-best mark of his career.
Unfortunately, the star center fielder has missed the last two games due to a sore right hip flexor muscle. But Twins manager Derek Shelton did deliver some good news on Friday when he told reporters that Buxton seems to be trending in the right direction. It sounds like this is very much a day-to-day situation.
The Twins certainly cannot afford to lose Buxton for any extended stretch of time, as he has often been their only offense this season. Despite being just 20-25 on the season, Minnesota is only 3.5 games back of the first-place Cleveland Guardians, who sit at just 24-22. The AL Central is always pretty wide open, which leaves teams like Minnesota in the race much longer than another division would allow.
With Buxton playing at this level, health is the only thing separating him from another All-Star campaign and leading this team to a potential playoff push. For now, it seems like he could be back in the lineup by the time the Twins host the Houston Astros next week, or perhaps even sooner if he can return this weekend.