Twins Could Use Byron Buxton in Outfield Upon Returning From IL
The Minnesota Twins could receive a significant boost when Byron Buxton returns from the 10-day IL – both at the plate and in the field.
Buxton has been sidelined since August 1st due to a right hamstring strain and will require a rehab assignment before rejoining his teammates on the active roster. But when that time comes, there’s a chance the 29-year-old could play the outfield for the first time this season.
“If it’s going to happen this season, it’s going to be after recovering and building himself up,” manager Rocco Baldelli said ahead of Saturday’s 7-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. “And it’s going to be now. This is going to be his best opportunity.”
The outfield had previously been off-limits due to Buxton’s lengthy injury history, which has prevented him from compiling more than 92 games in a season since 2018. As such, the right-hander has made all 85 starts in 2023 as Minnesota’s designated hitter to keep him in the lineup more regularly.
It was successful in that regard, at least until recently, as Buxton has missed the last three weeks. But this time off has been productive. It allowed his hamstring to heal as well as his right knee, which has been a recurring issue over the last several campaigns.
Both are expected to be deciding factors involving any potential return to the outfield, according to Baldelli. Even if the former centre-fielder receives the green light, it will likely only be “on occasion” rather than on a part-time or full-time basis.
Still, as a former Gold Glove and Platinum Glove Awards winner, Buxton would jump at the opportunity to dust off his outfield tools during the Twins’ stretch run.
“My biggest thing right now is just getting back on the field, however that’s possible,” Buxton said. “But yeah, it’d be fun to definitely get back out there and see what happens.”
Buxton served as Minnesota’s primary DH prior to landing on the IL at the start of August. Since then, though, the club has utilized it to rest other players dealing with bumps and bruises, including Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, Jorge Polanco and Edouard Julien.
With that usage likely to continue, there would be an advantage to positioning Buxton in the outfield every once in a while across the final month of the regular season, keeping his bat in the lineup consistently.
The 2022 All-Star has struggled offensively thus far, hitting just .207/.294/.438 with 17 home runs, 42 RBIs and a 99 wRC+ – the lowest of his career since an injury-plagued 2018 campaign. But he’s only one year removed from blasting a career-high 28 home runs in 2022.
If healthy, Buxton – who owns a +68 DRS and +71 OAA over 4,436 career innings in CF – could also make a renewed impact in the outfield for a Twins’ unit that ranks tied for ninth in DRS (four) and 11th in OAA (four) in the majors this season.
The second overall selection from 2012 is in Year 2 of a seven-year, $100-million contract that runs through the 2028 campaign.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.