Over the years, the Minnesota Twins have been able to enjoy an extremely talented player, both defensively and offensively: Byron Buxton.
He might be streaky, but his impact on the Twins cannot be denied: with a .468 slugging percentage, 115 home runs, and 86 stolen bases, he has showcased his power, speed, and excellent defense.
However, he has become famous for not being always healthy enough to play.
To say Buxton is injury-prone would be an understatement.
He has suffered all kinds of injuries through the years, and hasn’t played more than 100 games since 2017.
Speaking of Buxton and injuries, he was scratched from Monday’s spring training lineup with one.
“Byron Buxton was scratched from the Twins’ spring training lineup today with lower right back tightness,” Twins beat writer Bobby Nightengale tweeted.
Byron Buxton was scratched from the Twins’ spring training lineup today with lower right back tightness.
After signing a seven-year extension in 2021, Buxton became not only a respected member of the Twins for his trajectory, but also a big part of the future.
Keeping him happy and healthy, for the most past, became even more important.
Perhaps it’s just a maintenance day for the talented slugger, but with his injury history, it’s something worth keeping an eye on.
He missed time last year with a right hamstring strain and a left hip contusion, and was on the injured list in 2022 with a right hip strain.
He remains very important for the Twins as they try to defend their AL Central title in 2024.
Minnesota will need the 30-year-old star to be as fresh as possible if they want to achieve their 2024 objectives.