Byron Buxton has been playing through more issues than the public is aware of, according to Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli.
Buxton grimaced in pain after fouling off a pitch in the fifth inning of Minnesota’s 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers Monday night. He stayed in the game only to be removed later with a hip injury that Baldelli says Buxton has been dealing with in secret.
“I’m not sure exactly when he tweaked his hip, but he had a few things go on today where you could tell he was really feeling it,” Baldelli said after the Twins’ third straight loss. “We know over the last few days he’s been in a spot where he’s been on the verge of not being able to go out there, not being able to swing and run and do such things but he’s continued to post up and he’s continued to go out there and play. I don’t know what percentage he’s at but it’s not a high percentage of what he can normally do physically.”
It’s been well publicized that Buxton has been playing through a knee issue most of the season after making a catch against the center-field wall at Target Field in April. On Aug. 2 the Twins announced that he was dealing with “more discomfort” in the knee, but the hip issue is news to the outside world.
“He couldn’t get through what happened out there. We call it hip soreness. I don’t know what it is. He’s going to have an MRI, he’s doing it right now,” Baldelli said in his postgame interview.
Buxton has been fighting the hip issue for “a good part of the season,” per Baldelli.
“This is stuff he deals with all the time. The guy is a warrior. The guy goes out there and plays through things that are unimaginable for many, both other players and people watching,” Baldelli continued. “What he’s done through this point in the year is pretty amazing with the physical difficulties that he’s had.”
Baldelli said Buxton will likely miss Tuesday’s game and that it “could be more than a day-to-day issue.”
“Most of what he’s dealt with we haven’t talked about. All that said, we’re going to wait until we find out more before I can say any more,” Baldelli said.
