Twins lineup: Slumping Byron Buxton sits for first time all season

The good news for the Twins is that Buxton has been healthy enough to start every game in CF so far this season and even steal two bases. The bad news is that he's looked awful at the plate. Buxton is just 7 for 41 (.171) with one long home run, one walk, one hit by pitch, and 16 strikeouts.

A day off is probably a good idea after Buxton struck out in all four plate appearances in Tuesday night's loss. He's struck out in 37 percent of his plate appearances thus far and has a ghastly 46 percent whiff rate, which is in the 1st percentile among all hitters. He's hit the ball fairly hard when he has made contact, but he isn't making much contact and he isn't drawing any walks. The offensive struggles of Buxton and Carlos Correa (6 for 40) have been among the many leading causes of the Twins' 3-8 start.

Although it's been ugly for Buxton through 11 games, his track record suggests he should be able to bounce back. Last season, he hit .279 with an .859 OPS in 102 games. He was an All-Star for the first time in 2022, when he hit 28 home runs in 92 games. Staying healthy has been a well-known challenge for Buxton, but he posted an OPS+ of 115 or better (100 is average) in five of the last six seasons before this one. Because of his value at the plate, on the bases, and in the field, he's been worth at least 3.0 WAR (per Baseball Reference) in five of the last seven seasons — excluding the shortened 2020 campaign — despite missing hundreds of games during that span.

It's the fifth major league start for the speedy Keirsey, who was one of the St. Paul Saints' best players over the past couple seasons. He made his MLB debut last September and made Minnesota's Opening Day roster out of spring camp this year.

Lugo and Joe Ryan are the starting pitchers for Wednesday's game, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. CT from Kansas City.

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