Byron Buxton Will Have Season-Ending Surgery

The Twins returned home after a tough road trip in Chicago and Detroit. Tonight, they will begin a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians. The Twins enter the series six games behind the White Sox and 4 1/2 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. They're also 4 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the "race" for the third and final AL Wild Card. However, they need to pass the Orioles, Rangers and Blue Jays too while at the same time holding off the Mariners and Tigers.

The Remaining Schedule 

9/11-13: Home vs Guardians
9/14-16: Home vs Yankees
9/17-20: @ Angels 
9/21-23: @ Giants 
9/24: Day Off
9/25-27: Home vs Rangers

And when Derek Shelton met with the media before Friday's game, he told the assembled media that Byron Buxton will be having season-ending surgery on the hip injury that has bothered him throughout the second half. 

Buxton played in 75 of the team's first 91 games but hurt his hip in a game in New York and was placed on the IL, strategically using the All-Star break to give him time. At the time, he was hitting .271/.328/.575 (.904) with 15 doubles and 25 home runs. He was voted in as a starter in the outfield for the All-Star game but didn't play. 

He returned on July 20th. He had another set of about 15 games from July 28th through August 12th. He returned on August 13th and played in 11 straight games. His final game was on August 25th. So, since that July 20th return, Buxton played in 18 games and hit just .172/.274/.203 (.477) with two doubles and one RBI. After crossing past 100 games played in both 2024 and 2025, Buxton will end this season with 93 games played. 

Buxton, who will turn 33 in December, has two years and $30 million remaining on his contract. Early in the season, he passed 10.000 years of service time. 

Does the decision of Buxton and the team doctors to have season-ending surgery on Monday signify that the team is throwing in the towel on the 2026 season? I guarantee no one in the organization will say that out loud, at least until the team is officially eliminated. But there does come a time when being realistic is important and getting that surgery done in the hopes that he'll be as ready as possible for 2027. It also tells us just how much pain that he has been in for the last couple of months. 

We will have an offseason to discuss what this means for Buxton and the Twins. I'm sure the question of him being traded will come up, but Buxton has been very, very clear that he has no plans of leaving the organization. Could this necessitate a move to a corner outfield position, hence opening the door wide open for Walker Jenkins to take the center field job and run with it? How much will he need to DH, or could that mean that the Twins aren't going to need to sign a DH type like Josh Bell. 

That's all for another day. Getting past this upcoming surgery and getting to the rehab process is important. Getting some time with his family will be important. Getting away from baseball for some time will be important. But just knowing how competitive Byron Buxton is, you know he's going to push himself to be ready to make another run in 2027. 

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