The Minnesota Twins recently announced the recipients of the 2026 Diamond Awards. The awards are voted on annually by the Twin Cities Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America and the Minnesota Twins Community Fund Board of Directors.
Byron Buxton is the Twins' Jim Kaat Award for Twins Defensive Player of the Year. He also won the Bob Allison Award, "given to the Twins player who exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field."
Buxton won the two awards despite being a non-factor in the second half of the season. He battled through a hip issue, which required three IL stints and, recently, surgery. He should be ready for Opening Day.
Because Buxton is often injured, some may believe he should be a full-time designated hitter going forward. However, the fact that he was named the Twins' Fielder of the Year shows he should remain in the outfield despite his injury history.
Twins need to play Byron Buxton in outfield regularly despite injury history
That doesn't mean the Twins shouldn't plan for him to be injured. More likely than not, Buxton will miss significant time next year due to an injury. Buxton has been blessed with elite athleticism, but unfortunately has been cursed with an injury-prone body.
Buxton, 32, remains an elite defender more than a decade into his MLB career. He recorded +2 Defensive Runs Saved and +3 Outs Above Average over 597 2/3 innings in center field this year.
The Twins will have to find a way to work outfielders Buxton, Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Luke Keaschall into the lineup regularly next year, assuming they're all healthy at the same time. Buxton is by far the oldest of the group, and due to his injury history, some may believe the obvious decision is to have him DH full time. But, as stated earlier, he is too valuable defensively.
Minnesota made Buxton a full-time DH in 2023 and it didn't work out. He still struggled to stay healthy, appearing in just 85 games, and had poor offensive numbers, slashing just .207/.294/.438 (96 wRC+) over 85 games.
The Twins could still have Buxton DH occasionally in 2027, as they did this past season.
Buxton's injury risk is definitely higher the more he plays in the outfield. But he's proven he's injury-prone regardless, so Minnesota may as well use him as an everyday outfielder.
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