Byron Buxton's Season Ends Early (Again) With Hip Surgery
Death, taxes, and undergoing season-ending surgery.
MLB Trade Rumors just dropped the news that the center fielder is officially done for the year. This time, it is a hip issue that requires going under the knife, abruptly ending his campaign and leaving a massive hole in the middle of the diamond.
When Buxton is healthy, he looks like a guy created in a lab to play baseball. He hits for power, glides around the outfield, and changes the geometry of the game. The problem is the lab apparently used discount parts for his joints. You can practically set your watch to his trips to the injured list at this point.
For the Twins, this is the exact scenario they hold their breath trying to avoid every single spring. Losing your starting center fielder and one of your most dynamic bats is a brutal blow to a lineup that relies heavily on his production when he is actually standing in the box.
If you have been holding Twins futures or betting their daily run lines, this is the kind of roster update that forces a hard pivot. Oddsmakers know exactly how much Buxton is worth to this lineup, and his absence is going to be baked into Minnesota's prices for the rest of the calendar.
Now the Twins have to figure out how to patch the outfield for the rest of the stretch run. As for Buxton, it is another long offseason of rehab and another spring training where we will all talk about how great he looks, right before holding our breath on every diving catch.