Byron Buxton doesn’t appear anywhere close to getting called back up to the Twins.
The former No. 2 overall pick is swinging and missing a ton since being optioned to the minors on a rehab assignment that was as much about fixing his swing as it was getting back into rhythm after missing an extended period of time with a hairline fracture to his toe.
In 11 games with the Rochester Red Wings, Buxton is 9-for-42 with one homer, two double and five RBI – and he’s struck out 15 times while drawing only one walk, including two strikeouts in six of the 11 games.
Buxton’s .214 batting average over those 11 games is only slightly better than the .156 clip he was hitting at in 28 games with the Twins.
When Twins manager Paul Molitor announced Buxton’s rehab assignment on June 17, he said he wanted Buxton to start showing better form in the batter’s box.
“Hopefully the combination of him feeling better and having a good mindset about where his swing is at will produce some good results down there,” Molitor said two weeks ago.
It’s possible that Buxton’s low batting average and high strikeout numbers are simply a result of him getting comfortable with a new approach in the batter’s box, but the numbers are ugly and not indicative of a player closing in a return to the big leagues any time soon.
Buxton did go 2-for-5 with a double on Sunday, so maybe that’s an indication that he’s going in the right direction.
Meanwhile, Miguel Sano is starting to hit the ball better at Class A Fort Myers, where he was sent mid-June after his average dipped to .203. So far, in eight games, the 2017 All-Star is 10-for-29 with one homer, seven RBI, seven strikeouts and five walks.
Sano went 2-for-4 with a homer on Sunday and has eight hits in his last 17 at-bats.
