Twins 'Bracing' to Be Without Byron Buxton for Rest of Season Due to Shoulder Injury
By Parker White
Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton has not played on a full-time basis since Aug. 1 because of a shoulder injury.
They've held out hope he could get back out there in the coming weeks, but manager Rocco Baldelli went on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM and basically announced that he's done for the year.
The #Twins are "bracing" for bad news on Byron Buxton:
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) September 10, 2019
"We know we might not have him going forward this year, and hopefully we have him full strength and ready to go next year." pic.twitter.com/p564mtvb1e
“Surgery is an option here,” said Baldelli. “We’re basically sitting down and bracing for the realization that this could be his season ending right now. We basically are going to see what it looks like going forward. ’Buck’ is an enormous part of what we do here. The contributions he makes on the field are fantastic, obviously — he’s one of the best defenders in the world. That being said, the energy he brings and the lift that he brings to the team is also huge.”
Season-ending surgery a possibility for #MNTwins' center fielder:https://t.co/nszDssFrjW pic.twitter.com/D23DRpkjZg
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) September 10, 2019
Not only is he probably not coming back this year, but surgery is an option? Ouch.
The 25-year-old has not turned into the next Mike Trout like many anticipated, but in 87 games (271 at-bats) this season he's slashed .262/.314/.513 with 44 extra-base hits (10 home runs) and 46 RBI. On top of his improvement with the bat, Buxton already plays an electrifying center field.
Buxton is a huge part of this team, and his absence is devastating heading into October.