For weeks, it felt like Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton was destined for the operating room. Managing a nagging hip injury, Buxton’s attempt to return in the second half of the season fizzled out in a couple of weeks and on Friday the worst-case scenario came to fruition when Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reported that Buxton will undergo arthroscopic hip injury next Friday.
The news is sobering for a Twins team that is trying to keep their meager postseason hopes alive. But it also raises questions about Buxton’s future. A player who has struggled to reach the 100-game mark over his career, Buxton’s latest surgery could have significant consequences and the biggest could be that his days in center field could be over when the Twins begin the 2027 season.
Moving Byron Buxton to a corner outfield spot is the Twins’ last chance to keep him healthy
Buxton is not a player who is short on talent. A tremendous athlete coming up through the Twins system, Buxton began to realize that potential in the past three seasons, hitting .265/.327/.531 with 78 homers, 185 RBI and 38 stolen bases on 41 attempts.
It also appeared that Buxton had put aside any injury concerns last season when he played in 126 games and hit .264/.327/.551 with 35 homers, 83 RBI and 24 stolen bases on 24 attempts. Even the first half of the year was encouraging as he earned his second straight All-Star appearance and third overall but his durability concerns quickly caught up with him, ending his season at 93 games.
The numbers aren’t bad as Buxton hit .254/.319/.511 with 25 homers, 46 RBI and seven stolen bases on eight attempts. But it’s alarming that over 12 seasons in the majors, Buxton has played in over 100 games just three times and only did it once before reaching the century mark in back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025.
Twins fans have come to expect Buxton spending time on the injured list as he approaches his mid-30s but the team now has to figure out how to keep him healthy with two years remaining on the seven-year, $100 million extension he signed before the 2022 season.
While the Twins tried using him as a designated hitter in 2023, it didn’t keep him from going on the shelf with a troublesome knee. And assuming he holds firm on waiving his no-trade clause, the best option for both sides may be to push Buxton into a corner outfield position.
A position change for Byron Buxton could be part of the Twins’ roster overhaul
Looking at the Twins’ outfield situation, putting Buxton in a corner outfield spot makes sense. Walker Jenkins was called up after Buxton came up lame in a game against the Athletics on Aug. 25 and while he’s struggled in the majors so far, he could wind up taking over in center field as he’s played there in 168 of his 277 career games in the minor leagues.
The Twins have a plethora of corner outfielders, but none of them should be untouchable going into next year. Trevor Larnach was almost traded at this year’s deadline before Houston Astros owner Jim Crane intervened and his performance since the deadline (.188/.250/.294, 2 HR, 6 RBI in 27 games entering Friday) could entice Minnesota to try again this winter.
Austin Martin and Alan Roden are also candidates for a corner outfield spot, but neither look like major league hitters at this point of their careers. The Twins can stick Roden back in the minors next season, but Martin is out of options, making it unlikely he returns next season.
Unless Luke Keaschall’s defense improves or the Twins make Emmanuel Rodriguez an Opening Day starter as he’s out of options for next season, the corner outfield spots are some of the most intriguing decisions general manager Jeremy Zoll has to make this winter. Putting Buxton in one of those spots could not only fill the role, but it could also reduce the wear and tear that he puts on his body by patrolling center field.
Of course, that won’t guarantee that Buxton avoids the injury list for an entire season. And even if he gets added time to recover with a prolonged lockout, the Twins may not be able to afford to continue playing without their best player for significant periods of time.
It’s too late to save Buxton this season, but putting him in right or left field may be the Twins' only option to get the most out of him as he enters the twilight of his career.
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