Byron Buxton Exits WBC Game after Hit By Pitch

[Seth Stohs]

Byron Buxton came to the plate for Team USA in the bottom of the fourth inning. The bases were loaded. Team USA led 3-1 but had struggled with runners on base since Aaron Judge's first inning, two-run homer. It felt like a key moment in the game. 

Gabriel Barbosa, a 24-year-old right-hander who pitched at three levels for the Phillies in 2025 came to the mound, having replaced Thyago Vieira who left with injury. Barbosa walked Roman Anthony to lead the bases. 

Buxton came to the plate, and Barbosa got ahead quickly with two sharp sliders just off the outside corner. After Buxton took another slider and swung out of his shows at a hanging slider (foul ball), Barbosa came inside with a running fastball. It just kept running in on Buxton and when it hit him, you could hear an audible moan. 

At first, it appeared he was hit in the hand, something that Twins fans certainly did not want to think about. We've seen that. Replay in slow motion showed that it hit him in the elbow, likely near the funny bone. 

Buxton stayed in the game having driven in the team's fourth run "the tough way." The next batter was Brewers second baseman Brice Turang who cleared the bases with a double off of the wall in left field. The USA team led 7-1. 

While it doesn't look serious, it only makes sense that manager Mark Derosa pulled Buxton and replaced him with Pete Crow-Armstrong. 

Buxton came to the plate three times in four innings. He was 0-for-2. He was hit by a pitch, scored a run, drove in a run and stole a base. 

UPDATE: A seventh inning Ken Rosenthal report tells us that Byron Buxton is just fine, taken out for precautionary purposes, but also because they wanted to get "PCA" some at bats too. 

 

I enjoy the WBC. For many, it's about national pride, especially that is visible with the fans and players from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Mexico. I want to see good baseball, and I want to hear about fun stories. Team Brazil had some that I enjoyed. 

A couple of fun baseball stories from the Brazil team. After the USA team took a 2-0 lead to start the team, 20-year-old Lucas Ramirez led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run off of Logan Webb. In the bottom of the eighth, Ramirez came to the plate against left Gabe Speier and hit a lefty-lefty homer. Ramirez is the son of long-time big leaguer Manny Ramirez. The youngster was the 17th round pick of the Angels in the 2024 draft out of high school in Florida. He ended the 2025 season with 11 games above complex league ball. He also went 5-for-13 for Brazil in the WBC Qualifier last year. 

Bloodlines are always fun. In the top of the second inning, Brazil turned to 17-year-old Joseph Contreras. He is the son of another long-time major leaguer, Jose Contreras. The son stands 6-4 and is a lanky 190 pounds. He is currently a high school senior at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Alpharetta, Georgia. Baseball America ranks him currently as the #15 high school pitcher available in the 2026 MLB Draft. He is committed to Vanderbilt.

Beyond quality genetics, Joseph has some impressive stuff. His first pitch was a 97-mph fastball just above the zone that Byron Buxton swung through. He also has the makings of a really good low-to-mid-80s slider. He also throws a vulcan-gripped pitch that generally acts like a changeup but can move significantly too. He got Buxton to fly out. With the bases loaded and one out, he broke Aaron Judge's bat and coaxed a double play ball to end the inning. In total, he went 1 1/3 innings and gave up one run on two hits and three walks. So, the stat line isn't terribly impressive. But considering his age, experience level, and that he was pitching against Team USA's lineup as a United States citizen. What a cool, scary opportunity!  Also, I now want the Twins to draft him and team him with Charlee Soto and Dasan Hill in the 2031 Twins starting rotation. 

 

 

From the Twins perspective, there were a couple of former Twins minor leaguers on the Brazilian roster. 35-year-old Leonardo Reginatto is completing his playing career with the WBC. He is set to join the Tampa Bay Rays player development staff. He signed with the Rays way back in 2009. His last season with an affiliated organization was back in 2018. That was his third season in the Twins organization. He spent most of 2016 with Chattanooga, He pitched for the Red Wings all three seasons. He has played winter ball in Mexico and Venezuela since then and most of his summer ball was played in Mexico. 

Gabriel Maciel batted ninth and played in center field. You may remember that he came to the Twins from the Diamondbacks with Ernie de la Trinidad and Jhoan Duran in the Eduardo Escobar trade in 2018. He played in Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids between 2018 and 2021. He was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in this game, but his speed and defense in center field keeps him in the lineup. He's played for Brazil in the 2016, 2022 and now 2026. 

Team USA is going to play Great Britain on Saturday night. Twins fans will want to check out the lineup when it becomes available. 

Seth Level of Concern right now:  2 on a scale of 1-10. (Subject to change)

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[Patzky]

Hope he's fine.. you just knew the TC jinx would continue.

[Chembry]

Watched it live.  Buxton was clearly in a lot of pain.

Ken Rosenthal just gave an update and said Buxton is fine and was only removed for precautionary reasons.

[Linus]

I hate the WBC.