Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Twins' Byron Buxton has 'no structural damage' in injured knee

By Adam Stites | Last updated 4/16/22

The right knee injury suffered by Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton on Friday isn't serious and he avoided any structural damage, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Buxton, 28, underwent an MRI after tweaking his knee on a slide into second base during the Twins' 8-4 win against the Boston Red Sox. The news is a relief to the Twins, but the injury is still expected to keep Buxton out of action for about a week.

Byron Buxton left the game after this slide into second. Hoping he’s okay pic.twitter.com/4yICUetbP5
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 15, 2022

In December, Buxton signed a seven-year, $100 million contract extension with Minnesota, despite injuries plaguing most of his MLB career. Since making his debut with the Twins in 2015, Buxton has played in more than 100 games in just one season. During his career, Buxton has dealt with groin, thumb, toe, migraine, wrist, shoulder and hip injuries.

When Buxton has been on the field, he's been among MLB's best center fielders, earning Gold Glove honors in 2017. While he played in only 61 games last season, Buxton batted .306 with 19 home runs, 32 RBI and nine stolen bases. In the first seven games of the 2022 season, Buxton has a .250 batting average with three home runs.

Nick Gordon replaced Buxton in the lineup Friday and is set to start in center field for the Twins on Saturday.

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