Minnesota Twins star Byron Buxton was put on the 10-day injured list with left ribcage inflammation, per the team announcement. Buxton landed on the injured list yet again, something that has been very common in his MLB career. When Buxton is on the field, he is an electrifying player. Buxton’s career high in games played in a single season is 140, which has been a major problem for the Twins when relying on his elite talent.
Buxton hit 23 home runs, 59 RBI, and a .905 OPS in 85 games played this season. Truly a shame that Buxton was putting up those kinds of numbers only to be sidelined once again. The Twins aren’t looking like they’re going to compete for a playoff spot, so it might be smart to just shut down Buxton for the entire year.
It’s unknown how bad the injury is, but with rehab and rest, it might not be worth it to rush the star back. Byron Buxton has all the potential in the world and has shown that potential, but he can’t stay healthy.
Since the Twins won’t make the playoffs this year, what should they make of yet another Buxton injury? Has he been the sole reason that the Twins have had scattered success over the last 20 years? It’s not entirely on him. But it seems like the Twins have had the same song and dance since Byron Buxton came into the league.
They’ll be semi-competitive for the first half of the season in the division, make everyone think that their roster is good enough, and then Buxton gets hurt at the worst possible time. It seems like the yearly conversation with the Twins is “if Buxton stays healthy, what can the Twins be?” instead of looking at the fact that he’s never played a full 162-game season in his entire career.
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