Byron Buxton
30-Year-Old
10-Day IL
Injury Knee
Est. Return 5/12/2024
2024 Stats
AVG
.250
HR
1
RBI
11
R
12
SB
1
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Buxton had yet another injury-plagued season, but his decline at the plate and inability to play in the field at all has put his future role with the Twins in doubt. Buxton underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in late September 2022 and didn't play in games until late in spring training. The Twins then announced he would only be used as DH to begin the season. Despite flashes of power at the plate, Buxton underwhelmed by hitting .207/.294/.438 and missing time with calf, knee, back and rib issues (landing on the injured list after getting hit by a pitch). Buxton's knee issue never improved, and he never played in the field outside of one rehab game in the minors. He then landed on the injured list in early August with a hamstring strain and only returned for one plate appearance in the playoffs. After the season, Buxton had surgery on his knee to clean up scarring from his 2022 surgery that led to irritation. He's expected to be ready for the start of spring training but it's now a legitimate question whether he'll ever return to his defensive prowess in center field. In the third season of a 10-year, $100 million contract, the Twins will continue to try to find a way to keep him in the lineup. Read Past Outlooks
Making progress with knee
Buxton (knee) has been running in a pool and participating in his normal workouts, but has not been swinging a bat, Dan Hayes of the TheAthletic.com reports.
ANALYSIS
An MRI on Buxton's injured right knee Thursday showed only inflammation and no structural damage. Buxton is optimistic he can return when eligible to come off the IL on May 12. However, the Twins may want to wait two more days until the Twins return from Toronto so he can avoid the AstroTurf of the Rogers Centre.
An MRI on Buxton's injured right knee Thursday showed only inflammation and no structural damage. Buxton is optimistic he can return when eligible to come off the IL on May 12. However, the Twins may want to wait two more days until the Twins return from Toronto so he can avoid the AstroTurf of the Rogers Centre.
Batting Stats
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Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
+4%
OPS vs RHP
2024
+56%
OPS vs RHP
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .754 | 231 | 13 | 27 | .217 | ||||
Since 2022vs Right | .781 | 598 | 33 | 77 | .221 | ||||
2024vs Left | .491 | 27 | 0 | 3 | .192 | ||||
2024vs Right | .768 | 73 | 1 | 8 | .273 | ||||
2023vs Left | .627 | 90 | 3 | 9 | .179 | ||||
2023vs Right | .768 | 257 | 14 | 33 | .217 | ||||
2022vs Left | .917 | 114 | 10 | 15 | .252 | ||||
2022vs Right | .796 | 268 | 18 | 36 | .211 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
+13%
OPS at Home
2024
+16%
OPS at Home
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | .820 | 423 | 30 | 60 | .228 | ||||
Since 2022Away | .723 | 406 | 16 | 44 | .211 | ||||
2024Home | .753 | 41 | 1 | 4 | .282 | ||||
2024Away | .647 | 59 | 0 | 7 | .226 | ||||
2023Home | .786 | 179 | 14 | 29 | .216 | ||||
2023Away | .669 | 168 | 3 | 13 | .197 | ||||
2022Home | .865 | 203 | 15 | 27 | .228 | ||||
2022Away | .796 | 179 | 13 | 24 | .219 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Byron Buxton compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
BB/K
0.09BB Rate
3.0%K Rate
32.0%BABIP
.367ISO
.141AVG
.250OBP
.300SLG
.391OPS
.691wOBA
.304Exit Velocity
89.6 mphHard Hit Rate
37.7%Barrels/PA
3.0%Expected BA
.214Expected SLG
.310Sprint Speed
23.5 ft/secGround Ball %
36.1%Line Drive %
24.6%Fly Ball %
39.3%Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Return to outfield being discussed
According to Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton could "on occasion" play the outfield once the slugger is recovered from his hamstring strain and is activated from the injured list.
ANALYSIS
Buxton has been limited to serving as Minnesota's designated hitter this season while playing through knee issues that weren't fully resolved by surgery last September, but he's still been on the injured list a couple times and has a .207/.294/.438 slash line with 17 homers in 85 contests. The 29-year-old could be eased into the outfield on a minor-league rehab assignment, and a best-case scenario is likely him splitting time in center field with Michael Taylor once fully healthy. However, getting back in the lineup for the playoff push is the first priority, so he could continue to serve as the DH if an outfield return presents too many issues.
Buxton has been limited to serving as Minnesota's designated hitter this season while playing through knee issues that weren't fully resolved by surgery last September, but he's still been on the injured list a couple times and has a .207/.294/.438 slash line with 17 homers in 85 contests. The 29-year-old could be eased into the outfield on a minor-league rehab assignment, and a best-case scenario is likely him splitting time in center field with Michael Taylor once fully healthy. However, getting back in the lineup for the playoff push is the first priority, so he could continue to serve as the DH if an outfield return presents too many issues.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
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2015
2014
2013
When Buxton is on the field, he's one of the best players in baseball. Alas, he hasn't played more than 100 games since 2017. Buxton hit a career-high 28 home runs in just 92 games (and his second best 382 PA) with a .832 OPS and was the starting center fielder for the AL All Star team. Buxton hurt his knee in Minnesota's 7th game of the season which caused severe tendinitis. He avoided the injured list for the injury but the Twins rested him frequently with a pattern of playing in center field, DH and then a day off every three games. He then suffered a hip strain Aug. 23 which landed him on the injured list and he was shut down for the season once the Twins fell out of the playoff race. He had offseason surgery on the knee and is expected to be ready for spring training. Buxton can strike out too frequently (30.4% last season) but has elite power and bat speed. He ranked 11th in MLB in Barrel rate and 7th in average Exit Velocity (both per Baseball Savant). Buxton may be the fastest player in MLB, which results in supreme efficiency on the base paths, but the Twins limit his opportunities for both strategy (the Twins were last in SB attempts) and health concerns. Buxton has 40-30 potential if he has a full healthy season, but Minnesota's strategy of frequently resting him last year could cap his fantasy upside if that becomes the norm.
More Fantasy News
Lands on injured list
The Twins placed Buxton on the 10-day injured list Friday with right knee inflammation, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
ANALYSIS
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Not in Friday's lineup
Buxton (knee) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Red Sox, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.
ANALYSIS
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Getting MRI on knee
Buxton will receive an MRI on his right knee after being removed from Wednesday's 10-5 win over the White Sox, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
ANALYSIS
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Dealing with knee injury
Buxton was removed in the second inning of Wednesday's game against the White Sox was due to right knee soreness, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Exits with apparent leg injury
Buxton was removed from Wednesday's game against the White Sox in the bottom of the second inning with an apparent leg injury, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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