Byron Buxton DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton has had a normal offseason after his 388 plate appearances in 2024 were his most since 2017. "He feels as good as he's felt in a lot of years," president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. Buxton has had a normal offseason and hasn't needed any rehab or physical therapy, which should benefit him greatly heading into the 2025 campaign. The 31-year-old played in over 100 games (102) for just the second time in his 10 years in the big leagues. He hit .279/.335/.524 with an .859 OPS, 18 home runs, 56 RBI, seven steals and 62 runs scored for the Twins. Buxton still dealt with knee and hip injuries, though. He showed he still has above-average pop, but his high risk of injury and the fact that he no longer runs as much makes him much less desirable as a fantasy outfielder. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 66 outfielder heading into the 2025 season.

The Minnesota Twins reinstated outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned utility man Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. Buxton was fully expected to come off the IL and rejoin the Twins on Friday before their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at Target Field. Minnesota has made the move to reinstate Buxton a day earlier. The Twins have a scheduled day off on Thursday, but Buxton should be back in the lineup on Friday night. The oft-injured 30-year-old outfielder will return to being an everyday player for the Twins, although he could be eased in at first with designated hitter duties before eventually taking over in center field. Buxton has only six steals in 90 games in 2024 but has hit a nice .275 (84-for-305) with 16 homers and 49 RBI in his 10th year in the league.

The Minnesota Twins will activate outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) from the 10-day injured list on Friday, with outfielder Austin Martin being optioned to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. Buxton has been on the shelf since the middle of August due to hip inflammation and had a setback that prevented him from returning sooner. Expect the Twins to ease him back into the fold in center field so that they can have him fully healthy if they clinch a playoff spot heading into October. When fully healthy, the 30-year-old oft-injured outfielder will return to everyday center field duties for the Twins. Although Buxton rarely runs these days (only six steals), he's played a big part offensively by hitting .275 (84-for-305) with 16 home runs and 49 RBI in 90 games. However, he hasn't been as good in the second half of the season before getting hurt in August.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) said even after his exit from a minor-league rehab game with Triple-A St. Paul last Wednesday, he has been running fine for the last few days and was able to get out and work on defense as well. Buxton is taking things day by day for now but is trying to get the pain in his hip to the point where he can play through it. The 30-year-old is trying to return from a right-hip injury that has kept him out since Aug. 12. At this point of the year with only a few weeks left in the regular season, the Twins priority is probably just to get Buxton healthy in time for a potential playoff run in October. The former first-rounder has played in over 100 games just once in a season since he debuted in 2015 due to various injuries and isn't guaranteed to return before the end of the regular season. Willi Castro has been filling in at center field of late but missed Monday's game due to illness.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) felt some more right-hip soreness before he was ejected from a minor-league rehab game with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday and will not rejoin the team for their series in Kansas City against the division-rival Royals this weekend. Buxton is set to be re-evaluated. The oft-injured outfielder was expected to come off the 10-day injured to rejoin the team on Friday, but that won't be happening now, and it's unclear when Buxton might be able to rejoin the big-league roster. The 30-year-old has been on the shelf since the middle of August, and depending on what the Twins find, there's a chance that Buxton could have to be shut down for the rest of the 2024 season. Until Buxton is able to return from his hip ailment, expect the Twins to continue to use a combination of Willi Castro and Austin Martin in center field.