Twins place pivotal outfielder on injured list due to knee issue

The Twins announced that they have placed outfielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list due to right knee inflammation with infielder/outfielder Austin Martin recalled in a corresponding move. Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press was among those to relay the news on X prior to the official announcement.

Buxton departed Wednesday’s game after coming up limping on an attempted steal of second base. Following that contest, the club announced that he was dealing with right knee soreness and was going for an MRI. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey says the MRI showed no structural damage, per Helfand on X. The Twins are hopeful Buxton can return after just 10 days.

While the club is downplaying the severity, there will be some skepticism among fans of the club, given the ongoing health problems of Buxton. Though he’s one of the game’s top talents, staying on the field has been a perpetual challenge. Though he debuted back in 2015, he has only once played more than 92 games in a season, which was back in 2017.

He got into 85 games last year but issues with that right knee prevented him from taking the field, as he stayed in a designated hitter role all year. He ultimately underwent arthroscopic surgery on that knee in October but he felt well enough by January to declare that he would be returning to center field in 2024.

He has played 28 games so far this year, starting in center field for 20 of those, but the offense hasn’t quite been back to his peak levels. He’s hit .250/.300/.391 so far this season for a wRC+ of 99. That’s similar to his showing last year while battling the knee issues, as he hit .207/.294/.438 in 2023 for a wRC+ of 98.

From 2019 to 2022, Buxton hit .258/.316/.558 for a 135 wRC+ while stealing 31 bases and providing excellent center field defense. He spent significant time on the IL during that period but showed what an impact player he can be when everything is clicking right.

The fact that he was healthy enough to take the field this year was an encouraging sign that maybe he could return to that level, but that he’s now dealing with knee problems again is understandably worrying.

Ideally, Buxton will be back in short order and can make some progress in his performance. But until then, the club will be using other options in center field. Willi Castro is in there Friday night but they also have Manuel Margot and Martin to help cover that spot.