Buxton is surging right now.
Byron Buxton has been on a tear to start 2026, and former teammate Joe Mauer would have been more surprised if this version of Buxton had not shown up eventually.
The 32-year-old Twins center fielder is hitting .264/.322/.588 with 16 home runs through 43 games, picking up right where he left off after a 2025 season where he set a career high with 35 home runs and won his first Silver Slugger.
Minnesota sits at 27-29 and still figuring things out under first-year manager Derek Shelton, but Buxton has been the one constant worth watching every night.
Mauer Saw It From the Start
Mauer spent all 15 of his big league seasons with the Twins and overlapped with Buxton from 2015 through 2018.
He was already in the organization when Buxton was drafted second overall out of Appling County High School in Georgia in 2012, so he saw the raw ability before anyone else really knew what Buxton could become.
When asked about the early-season power surge, Mauer did not hesitate.
"Honestly, not really surprised at all. I played with Byron a few years and saw him right when he got drafted with the Twins. Here's a guy that has every tool in the toolbox. He's got power, speed, and above all that, he competes. Great guy to have in the clubhouse, and obviously he's the leader of that team."
Coming from Mauer, that means something.
The guy won three batting titles and an MVP with Minnesota, so when he says Buxton always had this in him, it is worth listening to.
Buxton's path here has not been smooth. Lower-body injuries limited him to 28 games in 2018 and 61 in 2021, and there were stretches where it felt like the talent might never get a fair shot.
But he played some of the best baseball of his career in 2025 with 126 games and his second All-Star nod, and his 2026 start looks like a continuation rather than an outlier.
His barrel percentage sits in the 97th percentile at 19.7 percent, and he ripped through a stretch where he went deep 10 times in 17 games.
A hip flexor issue cost him a few games recently, but the production has stayed consistent.
Why Minnesota Should Not Trade Him
Trade rumors have already connected Buxton to teams like the Atlanta Braves, which makes sense given Minnesota is hovering around .500.
But the Twins should not be in a hurry to move him.
He is locked in through 2028 with a club option for 2029 on his seven-year, $100 million deal, and the past two seasons suggest he has become the player scouts always believed he could be.
His career totals back that up with 184 home runs, 462 RBIs, a Gold Glove and two All-Star nods.
Shipping him out right when health and production have finally come together feels like the wrong move for an organization trying to build something real.
