Fantasy News

• Twins' Byron Buxton: Out of Sunday's lineup

  Rotowire Apr 14, 2024

  Buxton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers. Buxton was absent from the starting nine for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader for the first time this season, though he came off the bench and went 0-for-2 with a run. The 30-year-old has gone 3-for-27 with 14 strikeouts over his past eight contests and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale. Austin Martin will shift to center field while Manuel Margot starts in left.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Resting to begin twin bill

  Rotowire Apr 13, 2024

  Buxton isn't in the Twins' lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Detroit, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. Buxton struck out in all three of his at-bats during Friday's loss and will take a seat to begin Saturday's action. Austin Martin will step in to cover center field and bat ninth in Game 1, but Buxton will likely return to the lineup for the second game.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Healthy start to season

  Rotowire Mar 31, 2024

  Buxton started in center field and went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI in Saturday's win at Kansas City. Buxton has started each of Minnesota's first two games in center field and looks as healthy as he's been since the first half of the 2022 season. He'll likely get days off from playing the outfield each week in an attempt to keep him fresh.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Returns to lineup Wednesday

  Rotowire Mar 20, 2024

  Buxton (back) is starting at designated hitter and batting second for the Twins in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. Buxton had to be scratched from the lineup Monday because of back tightness, but he's set to return to action Wednesday. The 30-year-old has had a very productive spring training, posting a 1.074 OPS with one home run. He'll be the Twins' primary center fielder in 2024 but will also see time at DH.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Back injury considered minor

  Rotowire Mar 18, 2024

  Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Monday that Buxton's back injury is minor and the outfielder is expected to return to the lineup soon, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Buxton was a late scratch from Monday's lineup, but it sounds like the club is just being cautious. The Twins are off Tuesday, but it sounds like Buxton could return as soon as Wednesday. He's 8-for-24 with one home run and two triples at the plate so far this spring.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Scratched with back tightness

  Rotowire Mar 18, 2024

  Buxton was scratched from the lineup for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox due to low-back tightness on his right side, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Buxton has had a healthy and productive spring up to this point but has now encountered his first injury hiccup. It's not clear how long the back issue might keep Buxton out of action, but given his lengthy injury history, the Twins will surely exercise the utmost caution. Buxton is slated to return to center field this season for Minnesota after operating exclusively as a designated hitter in 2023.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Makes another start in center field

  Rotowire Mar 1, 2024

  Buxton started in center field and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Friday's Grapefruit League win over Boston. Buxton played center field for the second time in four days without issue, which is a sign the Twins are confident he's healthy as the regular season approaches. The plan is for the talented 30-year-old to be the team's primary center fielder in 2024 after he was a full-time designated hitter in 2023. Buxton underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in October in order to limit the chances of future flareups of the patella tendinitis that has kept him from playing in the field.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Starting in center field Tuesday

  Rotowire Feb 27, 2024

  Buxton is starting in center field and batting second for the Twins in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Phillies, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. It's Buxton's first start this spring and the first time he'll play center field since August 2022. The plan is for the talented 30-year-old to be the Twins' primary center fielder in 2024 after he was a full-time designated hitter in 2023. Buxton had knee surgery in October but reported to camp fully healthy.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Thinks he can steal 30 bases

  Rotowire Feb 19, 2024

  Buxton told reporters Monday that he thinks he can steal 30 bases this season, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. Buxton has never stolen 30 bases in a major-league season, with the closest coming back in 2017 when he pilfered 29 bags. That was also the only time he's played 100-plus games in a season. Since 2020, Buxton has stolen a total of 26 bases across 277 contests. The odds that he is able to stay healthy enough to reach the 30-steal plateau in 2024 aren't high, but it's nonetheless encouraging that he's feeling good enough to make such a proclamation. Buxton is slated to return to center field this season after spending all of 2023 at designated hitter.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Fully healthy entering spring camp

  Rotowire Feb 17, 2024

  Buxton (knee) said Saturday that he is "100 percent" healthy and expects to have a normal buildup during spring training, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Buxton underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in October in order to limit the chances of future flareups of the patella tendinitis that caused him to miss the final month of the 2023 season. Now fully recovered from surgery, Buxton will prepare for a return to center field after exclusively operating as Minnesota's designated hitter last year.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Projected to return to CF

  Rotowire Dec 5, 2023

  Buxton (knee) is expected to begin baseball activities next week and the Twins plan for him to be the team's starting center fielder next season, the Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "We're going to go into spring training planning on, if everything continues to go well, having him out there in center field and very hopeful that the procedure he had puts him in the spot he needs to be in," manager Rocco Baldelli said, "but we also have to plan for everything, as usual." Buxton underwent an arthroscopic procedure in October on his right knee to clean up scarring from a 2022 surgery that led to irritation. Buxton had a workout at Target Field last week and was able to do some activities that he was unable to last season. Buxton wasn't able to play in the field last season due to his knee issues (aside from one game during a minor league rehab stint). While the Twins are optimistic he'll be able to play in the field, the team will seek to find options for a backup given that Buxton hasn't played more than 100 games in any of the past seven years and Michael Taylor elected free agency.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Undergoes knee procedure

  Rotowire Oct 13, 2023

  Buxton underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee Friday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. Buxton experienced a flareup of the patella tendinitis in his knee during the late stages of the season, and his procedure should help lower his risk for additional flareups in the future. The Twins didn't specify exactly how long Buxton will be held out, but the team still expects him to be able to play in center field next season.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Added to ALDS roster

  Rotowire Oct 11, 2023

  Buxton (knee) was added to the Twins' active roster Wednesday ahead of ALDS Game 4 against the Astros, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Buxton hasn't appeared in a major-league game since Aug. 1 due to a right knee injury and is not in the lineup for Game 4 on Wednesday night at Target Field, but the 29-year-old could prove to be a weapon off the bench as the Twins aim to avoid elimination. Minnesota is currently down 2-1 in the best-of-five series. Alex Kirilloff (undisclosed) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Withheld from ALDS roster

  Rotowire Oct 7, 2023

  Buxton (knee) isn't on the Twins' roster for the ALDS, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Buxton has been slowly working his way back from a knee injury that has held him out for over two months and advanced to taking live batting practice Friday, but he officially won't be able to make it back before the start of the AL Divisional Series. Buxton remains without a set return timeline, and it's unclear if he will be able to make an appearance in the postseason.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Appears unlikely to return for ALDS

  Rotowire Oct 6, 2023

  Buxton (knee) is with the Twins in Houston but "sounded far from certain of the possibility" of being added to their ALDS roster, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. Buxton continues to rehab his nagging right knee issue, and while he believes he'd be able to play, he admits it would be in a limited capacity. "It wouldn't probably be at the speed I want it to be, and that's one of those where I don't want to hurt the team," Buxton said. "It's kind of one of those where I don't want to put the team in a bad spot with me coming back at 50, 60, 70 percent." Complicating a potential return for Buxton is that he doesn't appear ready to play the outfield and Royce Lewis (hamstring) also remains limited to designated hitter duty. Buxton hasn't played for the Twins in more than two months.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Not on Minnesota's wild-card roster

  Rotowire Oct 3, 2023

  Buxton (knee) has been left off the Twins' AL Wild Card Series roster, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Things were trending in this direction, as Buxton was not present for the Twins' workout Monday. He hasn't played with the big club since early August while dealing with a hamstring injury and more recently an aggravation of his knee issue. Buxton could potentially be added to the Twins' roster should they advance to the ALDS, although the former wouldn't seem to be a given.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Not at Twins' workout Monday

  Rotowire Oct 2, 2023

  Buxton (knee) did not participate during the Twins' on-field workout Monday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. It seems likely that Buxton probably did some stuff out of the public view Monday, but he was not part of the workout with his teammates. Buxton has been sidelined since early August with a hamstring injury and more recently a flare-up with his knee issue. His inclusion on the Twins' AL Wild Card Series roster has to be considered a major question mark at this point.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Moves workouts to Minneapolis

  Rotowire Sep 27, 2023

  Buxton (knee) will work out with the Twins this week with the minor-league season over as Minnesota evaluates him for a possible addition to the postseason roster, MLB.com reports. He went 1-for-8 during two games at Triple-A St. Paul last weekend. It seems unlikely he'll be activated from the injured list ahead of the playoffs, especially with the Twins playing their final series on the road in Colorado. Buxton's last rehab stint in early September was shut down after two games due to a flareup of the patella tendinitis in his right knee. It's encouraging he made it through two games over the weekend without a setback, but he didn't play in the field and didn't get much work due to a rainout in St. Paul. He may not be activated for the postseason roster as a result. It's hard to see how the Twins could elect to use him in center field in the playoffs even though that was probably the plan when his first rehab stint started in early September.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Set for second rehab game

  Rotowire Sep 23, 2023

  Buxton (knee) went 1-for-4 during a rehab game Thursday for Triple-A St. Paul and will play again Saturday after a scheduled off day Friday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. If Buxton can stay healthy -- his last rehab stint was shut down after two games due to a flareup of the patella tendinitis in his right knee -- it's not clear if he'll be able to get enough at-bats to show he can be activated for the beginning of the playoffs with the minor-league season ending this weekend. Even if he does return in the postseason, the Twins seem unlikely to risk him in center field again, which would limit him to DH.

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• Twins' Byron Buxton: Resuming assignment Thursday

  Rotowire Sep 20, 2023

  Buxton (knee) will resume playing in rehab games with Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Buxton's assignment was shut down after he suffered a knee injury in a Triple-A game Sept. 1 while working his way back from a strained hamstring. He has received a cortisone injection in his knee since then and has now been cleared to resume game action. Barring any further setbacks, Buxton could still make his way back into the Twins' lineup before the end of the regular season.

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