Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton has had a strong season overall, slashing .243/.298/.514 with 11 homers and 17 RBI over 35 games while playing elite defense. He was hitting just .182/.258/.273 with zero homers after his first 14 games of the season, but has been on an absolute tear since. Unfortunately, despite his overall solid stats, Buxton has just one hit in 25 at-bats with runners in scoring position this year. While Buxton isn't one of the main reasons for the Twins' poor 16-22 record, his lack of production in big situations this year certainly hasn't helped the team.
Byron Buxton is 1 for 25 with RISP this season and 0 for 8 with the bases loaded. His OBP is .296 and his walk, chase, and whiff rates are all quite poor.
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) May 7, 2026
He's hitting lots of homers, but the Twins need more from their best player to have a chance.
Buxton finally collected his first hit with runners in scoring position this year during the Twins' 11-3 win over the Nationals on Tuesday, mashing a three-run homer off right-hander Andre Granillo in the eighth inning.
🚨 BUCK TRUCK SIGHTING IN DC 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Jzs0njmUoi
— Twins.TV (@twinstv) May 6, 2026
Since his homer on Tuesday, Buxton has gone 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. He's hitting home runs and playing great defense, but the Twins need the center fielder to improve his plate discipline in big situations.
Buxton will likely turn things around with runners in scoring position. He's still had a great season at the plate, and posted an outstanding .313/.390/.594 slash line with runners in scoring position last season.
Buxton doesn't deserve blame for Twins' struggles despite poor stats with RISP
While Buxton's struggles in big moments this season are impossible to ignore, it's safe to say he's done more to help the Twins win than lose this season. Since April 12, Buxton has slashed .284/.330/.682, while Minnesota's offense as a whole hit .241/.319/.362 through Thursday’s game.
As of Thursday morning, the Twins' bullpen ranks 29th out of the 30 MLB teams in ERA (5.83) and strikeout rate (18.4%), last in batting average against (.276) and 20th in walk rate (11.1%). Minnesota's defense has also been an issue, ranking 29th in Defensive Runs Saved (-12). Despite Simeon Woods Richardson being one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball this year with a 6.92 ERA, the Twins' starting rotation has been solid, ranking 15th in ERA (4.12).
Sure, if Buxton had collected more hits with runners in scoring position this year, then the Twins may have won a few more games. However, his abundance of home runs and great defense have helped the team more than his lack of hits in big moments has hurt the team. If Buxton is still struggling with runners in scoring position as we enter the later months of the summer, then it's justifiable to be concerned. But for now, we should be happy with what Buxton has done for the Twins and hold onto hope that he'll improve in big situations.
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