The Twins Made a Mistake Waiting on Byron Buxton’s Hip Surgery

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Byron Buxton's 2026 season ended with another injury. Buxton's incapacitation derailed the team's push toward the postseason, but the bigger concern for the Minnesota Twins might be what happens next. Buxton underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip last week, with the Twins announcing that the procedure included a labral repair, decompression and cam resection. Some of that is just to relieve the hip impingement he dealt with all year, but the labral repair is more involved—and more ominous.

Nobody should pretend to be a doctor when discussing a complicated hip surgery. However, previous MLB cases involving labral repairs suggest a recovery that can take roughly 6-8 months. That timeline raises a question: Why did the Twins wait as long as they did to make this decision?

Buxton's last game came on August 25 in Sacramento. His surgery didn't take place until September 18. That's nearly four weeks between Buxton's final game and the procedure. The Twins quasi-officially shut Buxton down for the season on September 11, but another week passed before the surgery actually happened. By that point, Minnesota's postseason chances had dwindled to virtually nothing, anyway.

Even after he limped off the field against the A's, there was some hope that Buxton could return late in the season, but that increasingly looked like a long shot. Once that became clear, the argument for continuing to wait became much more difficult to understand. This is where the timeline becomes particularly important. Six months after Buxton's September 18 surgery lands on March 18. That's only one week before Opening Day. An eight-month recovery pushes his potential return to May 18, which would be 47 games into the 2027 season.

Obviously, recovery timelines aren't guaranteed. Buxton could progress faster. He could also require more time. The latter seems more likely, given Buxton’s extensive injury history. There are too many variables involved to declare a specific return date this far in advance. But that's exactly why those extra weeks mattered.

If the Twins had determined earlier that surgery was necessary, they could have started the recovery process sooner. Instead, they waited until late September to perform a procedure that could keep their best player out for a significant portion of the following season.

The most frustrating part is that the Twins had already been dealing with the hip issue for months. Buxton and manager Derek Shelton both expressed confidence before the surgery that Buxton would be ready for next season. The exact wording varied, particularly when it came to whether that meant being ready for spring training or Opening Day. That optimism now feels more like a pipe dream. If he'd had surgery three weeks sooner, the chances of being ready on time would certainly be better.

There is also a significant difference between saying a player will be "ready for next season" and having him physically prepared to play 162 games. That’s something few players accomplish in modern baseball, and Buxton has averaged 107 games per year over the last three seasons—the three healthiest campaigns he's had in the last decade. Even if Buxton avoids a major setback, a player returning from this type of surgery could need additional time to build strength and regain his normal workload.

The Twins have spent years trying to get the most out of Buxton while managing his injury history. Minnesota paid Buxton roughly $70 million through the first five seasons of the contract. FanGraphs estimates that he has provided approximately $122.5 million in value over that span. Even when he misses time, he provides remarkable value.

That makes the decision to sacrifice four weeks of recovery time even more difficult to understand. Maybe the surgery ultimately doesn't cost Buxton any games in 2027. Maybe his rehab goes perfectly and he's ready for Opening Day. But the Twins didn't need to gamble on that outcome. They had an opportunity to give Buxton more time to recover, and they didn't take it.

A Mistake that Could Linger into 2027

The Twins' decision to wait on Buxton's surgery is one of those choices that might not be fully judged until next season. If Buxton is healthy for Opening Day and plays a full season, the timing becomes a footnote. If he's forced to miss the beginning of the season because the recovery takes closer to eight months, those September weeks will look much more significant.

Minnesota already has plenty of questions to answer heading into the offseason. Payroll needs to be addressed, the roster needs more direction, and the organization needs to determine what kind of team it wants to build around its remaining core.

The last thing the Twins needed was to unnecessarily complicate their plans for their most important player. There was a point when waiting made sense, because Buxton was still trying to return. But once it became apparent that his season was effectively over, the clock should have started immediately. Instead, the Twins waited. Now, they have to hope those lost weeks don't come back to haunt them in April and May. Considering the usual recovery timeline for Buxton's surgery, that is a gamble the Twins probably didn't need to take.

---

Was it a mistake for the Twins to wait on Buxton’s surgery? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

View full article

[Czelgert]

The Twins were probably measuring whether they’d meet their medical plan deductible for the year and only scheduled after they had.  It’s all you can eat for the rest of the season!  /s

[Original_JB]

There's also the possibility that imaging didn't show the extent of the damage. I know when I went in for a knee "cleanup" that was supposed to be a minor meniscus snip, the surgeon came out and told my wife that they had to do quite a bit more than they'd expected and I'd be in more pain and have a longer recovery time. The vast majority of that was essentially clearcutting the forest of cartilage tears that had been been trying to "fix" themselves by regrowing, so it happens. That said, I would have been pushing for resolution after the 1st hip incident of the year, since they already knew it was an ongoing thing.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Wait a minute here.  You have assumed that the Twins' front office made the decision as to when the surgery would take place. How do you know it wasn't Buck's decision? How do you know what the doctor recommended? Did Buck get a second or third opinion? If so, what did these doctors recommend?  What went into this decision? Were there additional factors that influenced whomever made the final decision?   I know Buck has a contractual relationship with the Twins, but I doubt that contract gives the Twins carte blanche to make Buck's health decisions for him. 

[Whitey333]

No the Twins messed it up.   They should have waited longer so that maybe he would miss more if not all of next season if there is one.  Putting up with Buxtons injuries isnt just an issue for Byron.  It affects the team as well and not because he plays well for a month tgen is injured plays poorly then the season is over.  It happens all the time.  Hes only played full time 2 years out of 12.  You cant count on him and it hampers the roster always, and i mean always having to roster another player to plan for his inevitable injury.  Its way past time to move on from Buxton.  To keep thinking of him as one of your core players is foolhardy.   

[rv78]

 If Buxton is healthy for Opening Day and plays a full season, the timing becomes a footnote.

You are stretching the fact that Buxton can play a full season to the point of rediculous. At this point in his career, and with Jenkins, ERod, Keaschall in the outfield, I won't miss Busted, I mean Buxton. Had they got him under the knife sooner and he was more ready to go at the start of 2027, he would just have his next injury sooner in 2027. I know his $15M is considered cheap, but I'd like to see a CFer that can play an entire season and be counted on to help the team when needed. And if they move him to full-time DH, he'll just hurt himself swinging the bat or running the bases. 

[Mike h]

I’ve had several surgeries including a back surgery that was supposed to take 4 hours but ended up taking almost 7. More to the point, once it was determined that surgery was necessary I still had to fit in to the doctors schedule and O.R. availability, etc.  And Buxton may have needed some time to digest the reality and rethink alternatives.  That would seem normal and his right. The wait could have been on him, not the Twins.  If so, that’s ok.  When it comes to your health you have to look out for number one.

[TopGunn#22]

Unfortunately, even if Buxton was willing to be traded (Atlanta?) wasting the 3 weeks in September when both Byron and the team doctors knew he was going to need surgery of some sort is troubling.  It's not like this was a sudden injury.  This hip issue had been troubling Byron most of the 2026 season.  

Original_JB makes a very good point about doctors sometimes finding "more" than they had expected.  But it just seems that not addressing it in a timely fashion on the surface is a head scratcher for both the team and Byron.  Underneath the surface, maybe there were reasons.  

At this point, and honestly, for most of his career, the Twins should have approached each season like it was a roll of the dice whether Buxton would be available and if he was, treat it like a bonus.  I would much rather be looking forward to the season starting on time and all labor disputes being settled.  However, since that is not likely, a delay to spring training and baseball in general may work in Byron's and the team's favor.  

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Im not entirely sure it was the teams decision. Buck probably had a bit of say on the matter. However, whoever was responsible for the decision waited too long. It was clear he couldn't play even when he came back off the injured list. 

[HarmanWithAnA]

I'd rather have peak Buxton for the last 107ish games of the season than the first.  The mistake might have been not waiting till June every season to start playing him even when he was healthy.

[PuckettPond]

Buxton will also need a hip replacement. He will never be the same as it is doubtful he plays in 2027. He is doing more harm than good to the Twins. Please retire for the sake of everyone as he will only embarrass himself.

[JBK]

You're just asking that question now?

[MapleGroveTwinsFan]

This isn't a defense of Buxton, because his injuries suck and the timing is worse. 

Since 2021 Buxton has played in 559 games with 2321 at bats and a WAR of 21.4, Jeffers has played in 579 games with 2154 at bats and a WAR of 10.7. 

Jeffers OPS in September .537, Only played in 8 games in 25, .463 OPS in 24. .943 OPS in 23, only played in 7 games after July 15th in 2022. 

Jeffers OPS in August .740 (SLG .393), in 2025 .747(SLG .389), In 24 OPS .926 (SLG .593), .IN 23 876 (SLG .538), 22 didn't play. 

An people are done with Buxton, but want to lock up Jeffers? Doesn't make sense to me. (I get that Jeffers is a catcher, part time catcher really)

[offensive_loons_fan]

I mean, could the answer be as simple as just once they finally came to the conclusion he would need the surgery, they scheduled it and it was scheduled weeks out? Which is what I have to do whenever I need to get surgery?

Especially if you want a particular surgeon, they do not necessarily drop everything they are doing and fly out to give you same-day surgery like a medical Amazon.

[Bangkok Twins Fan]

39 minutes ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

Im not entirely sure it was the teams decision. Buck probably had a bit of say on the matter. However, whoever was responsible for the decision waited too long. It was clear he couldn't play even when he came back off the injured list. 

Yes, as you and tarheeltwinsfan noted, Buxton most likely had the biggest say in the matter. And even if we DID have Buxton in the lineup for this past month I don't think it would have been enough of a factor in getting the Twins more wins. I am positive that Buxton wanted to play, but at some point you have to listen to your body and realize you need to do what is best for your health and opt for the surgery. The guy has had his share of bad luck in recent years with the various injuries, but he has shown what a difference he can make when healthy. I think the Twins will need him to compete for the rest of this decade. 

[Trov]

The article seems to suggest that Buck has no decision in this process and it is fully on the Twins management and their doctors.  I am pretty sure the person that decides if, and what kind of surgery they are going to get and when is the person getting cut open.  We do not know what options were given to Buck, and what he was advised by the doctors.  The assumption that Twins can just tell a player this is what you are going to do is crazy.  Every surgery has risk.  I do not know the extent of the injury, or the risk of the surgery, but I am sure Buck thought about it.  

I tore and ACL long ago.  Most would say just get surgery that is the answer.  However, my doctor did not say I had to get surgery that was my only option.  In fact, people and athletes live without ACL in their knees.  He said though that without surgery, with the amount of sports I do, I would most likely need a knee replacement at 40, no matter how much I put muscle on around the knee.  

My options, get surgery, do physical therapy and not do surgery and see how my next 20 years go.  I went with the surgery, but it was not the only option I was presented by a doctor.