Is it possible that the Twins are better right now with Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton not in the lineup? It’s unimaginable to keep such big names on the bench and they’ll certainly play when they’re healthy, but Minnesota’s 8-2 win over the Astros Wednesday night was a good example of how the lineup, at least for the time being, is more dangerous without the struggling stars.
Buxton hit .179/.324/.321 in May and Correa has been struggling all season to the tune of a .211/.303/.378 slash line that puts him on pace to finish the 2023 season with just 17 homers and 69 RBI.
“We have very high expectations of our group,” Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said Wednesday during an interview with WCCO’s Chad Hartman “Ultimately, we should be better. We could be better and that’s our focus.”
Specifically on Correa, Falvey said “no on is more frustrated than Carlos.”
“We fully expect that his offense will pick up as we continue through the summer,” Falvey continued.
Hartman didn’t ask Falvey about Buxton’s offensive struggles, but he press the baseball boss on whether Buxton will play in center field at all this season. Falvey gave a non answer, calling it a decision “we’ve been wrestling with internally as much as anything.”
Buxton has not played in the outfield yet this season, with all of his appearances coming as the designated hitter. Why? To ensure his health. But even with those protections in place, Buxton has missed some games because of a sore knee.
“Our focus was how do we keep him in the lineup as much as possible. We need to respond to new information as we go. Our focus is to try and keep him as healthy as possible,” said Falvey, noting that Buxton’s soreness is the result of “aggressive running” on the bases.
“We talk to him regularly about how he’s feeling, what treatment he’s getting. Our medical folks are involved in that,” Falvey said. “I think he’s recognizing that there’s value in the role he’s playing. There’s value in the role Michael Taylor’s been able to play, good defense for us out there. But we’re going to continue to evaluate it throughout. It’s a partnership all the way around. No one person is doing to make that decision.”
