The last thing any Minnesota Twins fan wants to hear is that Byron Buxton is dealing with some sort of ailment. He been held back for over a year due to various injuries, and Monday was an unwelcome return to living in fear of something happening.
Buxton was scratched from Minnesota's lineup, with the team citing lower back tightness on his right side as the reason. The upside is it doesn't appear to be an issue with his knees, but the downside is that Buxton is already dealing with an injury this early in the season.
Not long after Buxton was scratched from the lineup on Monday, Derek Falvey gave a somewhat positive update that seemed to indicate things might turn out alright.
Derek Falvey gives update on Byron Buxton after latest injury scare
According to Betsy Helfand, the injury is being deemed 'minor' and the Twins aren't expected and extended absence for Buxton.
Derek Falvey said this is minor.
— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) March 18, 2024
The Twins expect Buxton back in action soon. https://t.co/ERlbQ6Bz8x
Deeming this as 'minor' is a huge sigh of relief, but it doesn't mean anyone is out of the woods yet. While something more serious might have been avoided this time, the fact that Buxton is already dealing with ailments this early is not exactly encouraging.
Buxton was a ghost defensively last season, not playing a single inning in the field while serving exclusively as a designated hitter option. He made his triumphant return at the end of February, taking centerfield for the first time since August 2022, which seemed to indicate he was back.
He indicated as much during TwinsFest, but we're just over a week out from Opening Day and already there's concern about Buxton's health. The good news is the Twins have some contingency plans in place to account for potential bad injury luck. Manuel Margot was acquired from the Dodgers last month to provide insurance behind Buxton, and Austin Martin is waiting to get called up to serve as move depth.
Ideally Buxton is healthy, but that's a broken record statement Twins fans have been playing on a loop for years. Hopefully this is indeed just a minor setback, but it will remain a major source of anxiety until we see him back in action.