Tuesday's Injury Feels Like a Huge One for Byron Buxton

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of David Frerker-Imagn Images

Willie Mays didn't start Game 2 of the 1973 World Series. He was almost a mascot by that point, playing out the string for the Mets as they won their second unexpected pennant in five years. At age 42, he'd been limited to playing first base and serving as a pinch-hitter for the final two months of the regular season, and even in those roles, he hadn't looked especially good. He did play a few innings in center at the end of the NLCS, and he got the start in Game 1 against the Oakland A's. However, he committed an ugly error in that first game of the Fall Classic, and it seemed like he might never step into the outfield again. 

New York had to call upon him to pinch-run in the top of the ninth, though, after starting center fielder Don Hahn was injured. Promptly, as he tried to accelerate and go from first to third on a single to right, he stumbled and nearly fell just before reaching second; he had to settle for going station-to-station. When he went out to center in the bottom of the ninth, he whiffed on a fly ball to left-center and fell down after missing it. Later, in extra innings, he missed another catchable ball and stumbled again.

The Mets won that game in 12 innings, thanks in part to a hit by Mays. For many, though, that game was a tragic and devastating end to the greatest career in baseball history. That 12th-inning hit was the last Mays recorded in the bigs; he was kept out of the outfield for the balance of the series. For decades thereafter, that sequence was considered the epitome of a player sticking around too long—of being so thoroughly hollowed out that it was hard not to feel it taint the memory of the legendary player they once were.

Things are not that dire for Byron Buxton—we hope. He's 10 years younger now than Mays was then. He still shows flashes of being a great athlete. The first half of this season was a dazzling display of what he can do: He had 25 home runs by June 22. 

Since that date, though, Buxton hasn't homered, and he has a .519 OPS. He's made two trips to the injured list, and played only 25 games in the last two months and change. There have been times when he looks completely unable to do the things he's always done, from beating out infield singles and would-be double play balls to flagging down fly balls to the gaps. He's had good days, or at least good plays, but he's never truly looked like himself long enough for anyone to muster much hope. 

On Tuesday night in West Sacramento (as conceptually close to doing it in Oakland, where Mays last played, as one can get right now), Buxton tried to cut off a Henry Bolte line drive ticketed for the wall in deepest right-center. Bolte had really caught it on the screws, at 112 MPH off the bat, and maybe Buxton tried a late acceleration because he realized he was in danger of being beaten. Maybe, since he was closing on the ball when something changed, he was preparing to bend low or to slide to snare the ball on the bounce. Either way, Buxton went to make a move, and then he didn't make one. Instead, he wound up standing near the wall in right-center, moving minimally and waiting for the trainer to arrive from the dugout. Bolte's hit had turned into an easy triple. Buxton limped to the gate in left field and back toward the visitors' clubhouse. 

Given his relative youth and the state of modern sports medicine, Buxton probably wasn't departing center field for the last time. He might be done out there for 2026, though. It's clear that he has a major injury to his right hip. Just as Mays's frailty was exposed by the fact that he couldn't keep his feet, the fact that Buxton couldn't get down to play the ball off his feet feels foreboding. All the historic evocations of that moment were unwelcome and uncomfortable. Buxton certainly isn't on Mays's level, but Mays is one of the giants of the game, in whose shadow all great center fielders toil and to whom everyone aspires to earn a comparison. Buxton has the remarkable power and speed that made Mays so captivating, and at their best, each was the best defensive center fielder in their league.

Whatever Buxton has been playing through, it looks like his ability to do so has to be reevaluated. It's worth wondering whether, in a few years, we'll remember this as the moment when Buxton's time as a center fielder came to an ignominious end. It's not quite Mays and the World Series, but it felt just as sad and wrong.

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[strumdatjag]

I’m hoping the hip is not a chronic injury.  But saying that reveals my worry that the hip is a chronic injury.   

[bean5302]

 

8 minutes ago, strumdatjag said:

I’m hoping the hip is not a chronic injury.  But saying that reveals my worry that the hip is a chronic injury.   

Buxton has a few chronic issues. Back, hip, knee, and migraines. When you read about the lengths to which he has gone to try and stay on the field, it's crazy.

[PuckettPond]

Time for Erod & Keaschall to take over CF for the rest of the season developing the younger players & position changes.

[bean5302]

I think Buxton is probably headed for the IL again. I wouldn't expect to see him back until mid/late Sept.

[nicksaviking]

He shouldn't have been out there in the first place. I know he likely desperately wanted to be out there because he's a competitor, and I know Tom Pohlad desperately wanted him out there because he's trying to put fans in the stands for a sub .500 team. But there should have been a voice of reason that shut Buxton down weeks ago until Buxton was healthy.

And really, when has playing through injuries ever produced positive on-field results? We only have a century and a half of data to suggest that more often than not you'd have more success with a replacement player. 

[bean5302]

12 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

He shouldn't have been out there in the first place. I know he likely desperately wanted to be out there because he's a competitor, and I know Tom Pohlad desperately wanted him out there because he's trying to put fans in the stands for a sub .500 team. But there should have been a voice of reason that shut Buxton down weeks ago until Buxton was healthy.

And really, when has playing through injuries ever produced positive on-field results? We only have a century and a half of data to suggest that more often than not you'd have more success with a replacement player. 

REALLY?? Tom Pohlad now calling the shots on whether a player is ready to come off the IL? This is tough reading...

[Danchat]

Back when Buxton got extended, I wondered whether it'd be worth it since he rarely made it to the end of a season uninjured... what's the point if you consistently aren't healthy enough to play in the playoffs? It's unfortunate, I don't blame him whatsoever, he tries to tough it out. His body is simply failing him.

[DJL44]

28 minutes ago, PuckettPond said:

Time for Erod & Keaschall to take over CF for the rest of the season developing the younger players & position changes.

Time to put Jenkins in CF

[NYCTK]

4 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

REALLY?? Tom Pohlad now calling the shots on whether a player is ready to come off the IL? This is tough reading...

What is with the reflex to defend the CEO of the failing company? Is the CEO not the top dog and responsible for the decisions of the organization? 

No one ever rushes to defend the CEO in any other industry, that I know of. 

[jmlease1]

5 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

He shouldn't have been out there in the first place. I know he likely desperately wanted to be out there because he's a competitor, and I know Tom Pohlad desperately wanted him out there because he's trying to put fans in the stands for a sub .500 team. But there should have been a voice of reason that shut Buxton down weeks ago until Buxton was healthy.

And really, when has playing through injuries ever produced positive on-field results? We only have a century and a half of data to suggest that more often than not you'd have more success with a replacement player. 

It's not that simple, though; this is an injury that you probably can't get fully healthy from during a season (he might need surgery to correct it, or it might be chronic in that it will come and go) and then it becomes about things like pain management and capacity which is much harder to measure and isn't going to be same every time. Hindsight is 20/20, but if Buck had come off the injured list and hit 4 homers in a week and then gone down, we'd be looking at it differently...and he's done that before.

It's also hard to keep a player on the IL if they start saying they're healthy enough to play, that they're feeling good, and you don't have any medical indicators to show conclusively that they're wrong.

[Saxophone Joe]

43 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

I think Buxton is probably headed for the IL again. I wouldn't expect to see him back until mid/late Sept.

This looked like a season-ending injury to me. I'll be happy to eat my words, but I don't see this team still being in contention by mid-late September either. Play it safe and bring the kids up. 

[JADBP]

15 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Time to put Jenkins in CF

And-f’in-lutely!!!!!! 

[LA Vikes Fan]

It's sad to see Buxton's body failing again, particularly after the first half of this season reminded us how good he is when completely healthy. Still, I can't help but wonder if this latest injury may be a blessing in disguise. He needs to go on the IL. He isn't really helping the team at the plate or in the field, and it's probably too difficult for the manager to do what he should do - drop him in the order to around the 7 hole and move him to LF. I'm hoping that the result here is an IL stretch of at least 2-3 weeks so he can get as healthy as possible, a call up of Jenkins for this weekend to play CF every day, moving Culpepper up in the order, and a September 1 callup of ERod to play LF most days. I'd like to see this lineup now and on 9/1 forward: Keaschall RF, Culpepper SS, Bell DH, Jeffers C, Clemens 2B, Lewis 1B, Lee 3B, Larnach/ERod (starting 9/1)/Roden LF,  Jenkins CF. When Caratini catches, everyone moves up one and he hits 8 or 9. Clemens and Lewis switch spots against a LH starter. When Buxton is ready, he can slot in for the LF platoon with Roden demoted if Jenkins is playing well, replace Jenkins if he's not. 

[LastOnePicked]

I feel for Buxton. I really do. It's a tragic story.

But it's getting tragic and tiring for the fans, too, and it really would have been better to move on last offseason. I know he wanted to be here, but he also indicated he wouldn't stay for a rebuild. It made zero sense to try and build a winner around him because he's just not capable of staying on the field.

If you want to build a winning roster for this team, you have to assume that Buxton is your 26th roster spot - not your starting CF.

[LastOnePicked]

23 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

REALLY?? Tom Pohlad now calling the shots on whether a player is ready to come off the IL?

I would bet that Tom Pohlad doesn't even know what an "Injured List" is. I doubt he's making any roster decisions during the season. 

[tony&rodney]

8 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

It's not that simple, though; this is an injury that you probably can't get fully healthy from during a season (he might need surgery to correct it, or it might be chronic in that it will come and go) and then it becomes about things like pain management and capacity which is much harder to measure and isn't going to be same every time. Hindsight is 20/20, but if Buck had come off the injured list and hit 4 homers in a week and then gone down, we'd be looking at it differently...and he's done that before.

It's also hard to keep a player on the IL if they start saying they're healthy enough to play, that they're feeling good, and you don't have any medical indicators to show conclusively that they're wrong.

Totally agree that the decision is not simple. What we do know is that Buck is playing at well below a replacement player for two months. Yes, there have been a few wonderful dashes where he displayed the elite sprint speed and he has made a couple of decent defensive plays as well. The however has prevailed though with numerous balls dropping, throws being offline because he does not get into position to make the plays, and frequent weak plate appearances. It is very difficult to play baseball when one cannot manage fine motor skill details due to injuries. Buxton is the face of the Twins and he wants to play but he sure looks damaged most of the time since late June. We cling to the brief flashes when the reality of July and August are actually stunning. Yet, we hope .....

[HarmonK03]

21 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

What is with the reflex to defend the CEO of the failing company? Is the CEO not the top dog and responsible for the decisions of the organization? 

No one ever rushes to defend the CEO in any other industry, that I know of. 

Because CEO's don't make day to day decisions, they hire management to do that.  So the criticism of Pohlad is he is allowing Zoll to make these decisions even though he is in over his head.

But there are plenty of comments in various posts that keep saying Pohlad is making this decision or that on player personnel.  It's not defending him, it's point out who is making these decisions.  And unless it is budget related, he needs to let the people he hired do their job or in this case bring in someone more competent than JZ.

[NYCTK]

2 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

Because CEO's don't make day to day decisions, they hire management to do that.  So the criticism of Pohlad is he is allowing Zoll to make these decisions even though he is in over his head.

But there are plenty of comments in various posts that keep saying Pohlad is making this decision or that on player personnel.  It's not defending him, it's point out who is making these decisions.  And unless it is budget related, he needs to let the people he hired do their job or in this case bring in someone more competent than JZ.

We can both recognize that Pohlad v4 is bad at his job, and the people that report to him in the organization he runs are also bad at their jobs. And because the 4th Pohlad CEO is the top dog, he gets the blame. 

 

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

40 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

REALLY?? Tom Pohlad now calling the shots on whether a player is ready to come off the IL? This is tough reading...

If you don't think Tom is having some input I don't know what to say.  Buxton is a competitor,  but at the same point he has made poor decisions in trying to make this season and I'm going to use this term loosely - a "competitive" team.  You have had a lot break right and we are still a sub .500 team.  

Pohlad is the one making the decisions,  Zoll is just executing per his owners wishes.  Tom is being much more activiely involved which is poor managerial set up.  You have someone with minimal baseball knowledge pulling the strings.  Its part of the reason why Falvey left.  

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

If you don't think Tom is having some input I don't know what to say.  Buxton is a competitor,  but at the same point he has made poor decisions in trying to make this season and I'm going to use this term loosely - a "competitive" team.  You have had a lot break right and we are still a sub .500 team.  

Everyone be nice to the billionaire failson CEO. It's not his fault 😭

[HarmonK03]

1 minute ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

If you don't think Tom is having some input I don't know what to say.  Buxton is a competitor,  but at the same point he has made poor decisions in trying to make this season and I'm going to use this term loosely - a "competitive" team.  You have had a lot break right and we are still a sub .500 team.  

I guess we will be the Mets 2.0 if Tom is making decisions on players, even one like Buxton.  If he is overriding the doctors or his staff in him being on the IL then this team has no chance.  

If you want to speculate that he has input you can, but no one knows for sure,  But I really hope he isn't because he has no idea of how to build a roster.

[USAFChief]

The idea Tom Pohlad is making IL decisions is next level idiocy. 

[USAFChief]

As for Buxton, it's a long and sad history of injuries. 

This latest one hasn't been handled well. He's clearly not been healthy. 

I will agree it's not a simple decision, though, on playing him or keeping him on the IL. I suspect thst changed last night and he's likely done for at least a couple weeks.

Tristan Gray anyone?

 

Edited 6 hours ago by USAFChief

[NYCTK]

4 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

I guess we will be the Mets 2.0 if Tom is making decisions on players, even one like Buxton.  If he is overriding the doctors or his staff in him being on the IL then this team has no chance.  

If you want to speculate that he has input you can, but no one knows for sure,  But I really hope he isn't because he has no idea of how to build a roster.

 

The Buck with Buck stops...anywhere but the CEO, don't criticize the CEO! 

 

[nicksaviking]

52 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

REALLY?? Tom Pohlad now calling the shots on whether a player is ready to come off the IL? This is tough reading...

He hasn't stopped talking about 'competing' and putting the best lineup on the field all year. He doesn't have to actually call the shots; his interim GM knows he'd prefer the face of the franchise out there to sell tickets.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

5 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

I guess we will be the Mets 2.0 if Tom is making decisions on players, even one like Buxton.  If he is overriding the doctors or his staff in him being on the IL then this team has no chance.  

If you want to speculate that he has input you can, but no one knows for sure,  But I really hope he isn't because he has no idea of how to build a roster.

Who says he is overriding the doctors - thats not what I said.   If I were to guess the doctors report came back as such -  he is physically able to play now - he would benefit from some additional rest - there is minimal additional damage that can be done in the near term but he has a high probability of ending up back on the IL if he were to come back early.    Buxton wanted to come back early to play at the field of dreams game and be a competitor.   I am sure Tom, Zoll, Buck and the doctors all had input.   Tom has clearly shown he is a novice at his job.  Thats why I said losing Falvey at the time was such a big deal.  You had no qualified individual leading the ship.  I will agree with you that Zoll can execute transactions but in my opinion is not qualified for the job.   Thats where Tom's ego came into play.  Now the Team for the most part has made him look good.   

[NYCTK]

11 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

He hasn't stopped talking about 'competing' and putting the best lineup on the field all year. 

It's apparently unfathomable to a lot of people that the CEO might be having regular conversations with the baseball operations team. And that those conversations might have any impact on organizational direction or decisions. 

I think a lot of people just imagine the CEO just sitting in their executive suite, occasionally picking up a putter and working on their short game, which would probably be preferable. 

[HarmonK03]

1 minute ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

Who says he is overriding the doctors - thats not what I said.   If I were to guess the doctors report came back as such -  he is physically able to play now - he would benefit from some additional rest - there is minimal additional damage that can be done in the near term but he has a high probability of ending up back on the IL if he were to come back early.    Buxton wanted to come back early to play at the field of dreams game and be a competitor.   I am sure Tom, Zoll, Buck and the doctors all had input.   Tom has clearly shown he is a novice at his job.  Thats why I said losing Falvey at the time was such a big deal.  You had no qualified individual leading the ship.  I will agree with you that Zoll can execute transactions but in my opinion is not qualified for the job.   Thats where Tom's ego came into play.  Now the Team for the most part has made him look good.   

You still are assuming Tom is making personnel decisions, it would be good to have proof.  And if he doesn't trust Zoll which he shouldn't, Tom is the not answer.

[nicksaviking]

49 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

It's not that simple, though; this is an injury that you probably can't get fully healthy from during a season (he might need surgery to correct it, or it might be chronic in that it will come and go) and then it becomes about things like pain management and capacity which is much harder to measure and isn't going to be same every time. Hindsight is 20/20, but if Buck had come off the injured list and hit 4 homers in a week and then gone down, we'd be looking at it differently...and he's done that before.

It's also hard to keep a player on the IL if they start saying they're healthy enough to play, that they're feeling good, and you don't have any medical indicators to show conclusively that they're wrong.

But it's not hindsight when there is a track record of this situation. Not just with other players, but with Buxton himself. Pro baseball players just do not play WELL when they play through injuries. I know it's a good look to be gutty and play with pain, but just about every time it's a disservice to the club.

We've all been talking about him playing injured since the All Star break, regardless of what he said about his health, he wasn't fooling anybody.