Minnesota Twins Get Very Positive Injury Update on Former All-Star

After a season full of lingering knee issues, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins got a positive injury update this week.

Per a story from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

"Dr. Camp said he is fully recovered from the surgery," Derek Falvey, president of baseball operations, told me on Friday. "There are no lingering effects. He looked good. I thought that was a really good sign."

Rehabilitation is ongoing, and completing that is Buxton's next step. The Twins feel he should be cleared to do some baseball-related activities by the end of the year.

The goal now is hopefully for Buxton to return to centerfield in 2024. That's not a guarantee, but it is the hope. He played nothing but designated hitter in 2023 in an effort to stay healthier, but he ended up getting hurt anyways. He played in just 85 regular season games, which was the sixth time in seven full seasons since becoming a regular that he failed to play at least 100 games in a season.

Buxton's health caused him to miss nearly the entire Twins' playoff run, which saw them advance to the American League Division Series. He was put on the roster after an injury in that series and got one pinch-hit at-bat.

In addition to his health struggles, there were also performance struggles at the plate. An All-Star in 2022, Buxton hit just .207 with 17 home runs and 42 RBI. He also stole only nine bases, even under the new rules making it easier to steal bags.

The Twins have indicated they want to reduce payroll in 2024, so getting a big internal improvement from Buxton could be key.