Byron Buxton landed on the injured list on Tuesday, just two days after Derek Shelton praised his young roster for taking a series at Yankee Stadium.
The Minnesota Twins were not supposed to be here.
After finishing 70-92 in 2025, most people figured more of the same was coming.
First-year manager Derek Shelton took over a roster full of young players still trying to prove they belong, and the feeling around baseball was that Minnesota would be selling well before the trade deadline.
But something has started to shift, and it showed up during a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.
Shelton Likes What He Sees
The Twins dropped the opener 5-2 on Friday night, but the next two games were completely different.
Minnesota put up 11 runs on Saturday as Josh Bell went deep twice, then took Sunday's finale 6-1 behind seven scoreless innings from Joe Ryan.
It was the first time the Twins had won a series at Yankee Stadium since 2014, and it came against a New York team that has now lost nine of its last 10.
After the series, Shelton did not hold back.
"To be able to come in here with a young group and get two out of three, I'm really proud of our group," Shelton said. "I think we're playing good baseball at the right time."
He has every reason to feel that way.
Minnesota sits at 44-47 heading into a home set against Cleveland, which does not look great on the surface but tells a different story when stacked up against last season.
The Twins have surprised just about everyone with how competitive they have been all year, especially since they were picked to finish at the bottom of the league before the season started.
Three straight road series wins for the first time since May of 2025 is real progress.
Buxton's IL Stint
The good feeling from the series took a hit on Tuesday when the team placed Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list.
Buxton reaggravated his right hip during Sunday's win after getting caught stealing in the first inning, and it is his first IL stint of the season.
The move will also cost him his spot as a starting outfielder in next week's All-Star Game, with Alan Roden called up from Triple-A St. Paul to fill the roster spot.
Losing Buxton stings, especially for a player hitting .271 with 25 home runs and 45 RBI across 75 games.
He recently became just the third player in franchise history to hit 20 homers through the team's first 69 games, joining Justin Morneau and Harmon Killebrew.
But selling at the deadline while he is out would send the wrong signal to a young core that is starting to believe.
Brooks Lee has 14 home runs and 48 RBI at third base, Taj Bradley has stepped into a top-of-the-rotation spot with a 7-3 record and 3.86 ERA, and Keaschall continues to grow at second base.
Taking two out of three from a Yankees team sitting at 50-40 should give the front office every reason to keep this group together, even with their best player on the shelf.
