The Minnesota Twins got some good news as they activated outfielder Byron Buxton ahead of MLB’s Field of Dreams game on Thursday night. But while Buxton will get the chance to experience Dyersville and boost the Twins’ lineup at the same time, he also has the incentive of cold, hard cash.
According to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, Buxton and every player on the Twins and Philadelphia Phillies’ active roster will receive a $20,000 bonus for Thursday’s game. The payment was collectively bargained by the players’ union and the league for playing the annual neutral site game and may have been one of the reasons why Buxton will be in uniform on Thursday night.
Byron Buxton’s return came just in time for the MLB Field of Dreams game
Buxton’s status for Thursday’s game was up in the air throughout the week. After landing on the injured list for the second time this season with a hip impingement on July 29, Buxton ramped up his rehab process by taking part in a workout at Target Field on Monday.
Most notably, Twins manager Derek Shelton threw batting practice to Buxton during the workout and after completing a second workout on Tuesday, Shelton opened the possibility that he could play in Thursday’s game.
“[Thursday] is a possibility,” Shelton told MLB.com’s Matthew Leach before Wednesday’s 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles. “I don’t want to say [Thursday] is the day. …As we continue to add volume and Monday was the big day of adding a ton of volume. We’ll see how he is tomorrow.”
It’s unlikely that Buxton stormed into Shelton’s office after Wednesday’s game and demanded to play to get his bonus. But the Twins would have had good reason to hold him out and have him make his return at Target Field on Saturday night.
For starters, playing in a familiar stadium that hosts major league games regularly could have given Buxton a controlled environment to return to. It also doesn’t help that rain is in Thursday’s forecast, which could have created more issues with the playing field and increased the chance for a setback.
Instead, Buxton will play on Thursday in a move that could not only pay off for him, but for the Twins as well.
Twins continue their playoff push with Byron Buxton in the lineup
The Twins enter Thursday 0.5 game back of the Texas Rangers for the final Wild Card spot, but also are one of six teams within four games of the Rangers. Minnesota is also 3.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central and tied with the Detroit Tigers for second place in the division.
Buxton’s bat should help the cause as he enters Thursday, hitting .263/.320/.544 with 25 home runs, 45 RBI and seven stolen bases in 82 games this season. But his defense will also help the cause with eight defensive runs saved and three outs above average according to Baseball Savant.
While Buxton was replaced by committee while he was on the injured list, they couldn’t match the combination of his production at the plate and his Gold Glove-caliber defense. With the added benefit of a day off on Friday, Buxton’s return could come at the perfect time both for his wallet and the Twins’ lineup.
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