Byron Buxton was notably absent from the Twins' lineup in Monday night's 5-4 win against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. The star centerfielder underwent imaging due to a recurrence of right hip discomfort, and the MRI revealed he has right hip impingement, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes. Manager Derek Shelton said Buxton is day-to-day.
The fact that Buxton, who missed time in mid-May with hip discomfort and then could only play DH for a while due to a shoulder issue, is avoiding an IL stint, at least for now, is great news. He has easily been the team's most valuable player this year, worth 2.9 fWAR with a .268/.325/.573 (144 wRC+) slash line. He's tied for the American League lead in home runs at 25 with Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez and has advanced to Phase 2 of the All-Star Game voting process.
The Twins need Buxton in order to remain in the tight AL playoff race
The Twins' postseason odds may seem low, but the club is just two games back of the third Wild Card spot despite having a losing record (41-45). If Buxton's MRI revealed a more serious injury that required an IL stint, it would've been a major blow to Minnesota's postseason hopes, especially with catcher Ryan Jeffers and now left-handed reliever Anthony Banda already on the IL.
Pretty much every Twins fan feels a major sense of dread whenever it's revealed that Buxton is dealing with any sort of injury. Since the star has only appeared in 100+ games in a season three times in his 12-year MLB career, it's difficult not to expect the worst when Buxton needs to miss time.
Obviously, Buxton's hip issue could get worse and eventually lead to an IL stint. But for now, Twins fans should take the latest update as an encouraging sign. Remarkably, Buxton has avoided the IL all season despite dealing with numerous minor injuries.
Game 2 of a three-game series between Minnesota and Houston at Daikin Park is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m. CDT on Tuesday. Right-hander Joe Ryan (3.18 ERA, 93 1/3 innings) is slated to start for the Twins, while right-hander Mike Burrows (5.48 ERA, 85 1/3 innings) is expected to start for the Astros. It seems unlikely Buxton will start, but if he feels well enough, Shelton could consider putting him in the lineup. The game will be available to stream on Twins.TV.
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