When the Twins unveiled their 26-man roster for the Wild Card series against the Blue Jays the biggest name left off the list was Byron Buxton.
Buxton, the face of the franchise for many years despite sustaining numerous career-derailing injuries, had reportedly been working around-the-clock to be fit enough to make the roster, only to be informed during an “emotional talk” with manager Rocco Baldelli that he would not be participating.
“He worked his butt off to get in the best possible physical shape he could. But it was a hard, emotional talk. We both were sitting in the room knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to play in this series,” Baldelli said Tuesday.
“It’s tough,” said Buxton when asked about missing the series. “The situation is what it is. I can’t control it. Can’t change it. Just try to keep getting better day-in and day-out. We’ll keep pushing forward.”
Buxton has been out since the beginning of August after suffering a hamstring strain. The 29-year-old outfielder was dealt a setback at the start of September when knee issues hampered his rehab stint with the St. Paul Saints. He eventually made two rehab appearances Sept. 21 and Sept. 24 with the Saints, going 1 for 8 with on RBI.
Before his injury in August, Buxton was slashing .207/.294/.438 with 17 home runs and 42 RBI. He was the DH in every game he played, having not played in the outfield since 2022.
Could he have played in this series?
“I ain’t gonna say I could play,” Buxton said when asked if he could’ve played this series. “I probably could play but it’s all about contributing. I can go out there and do what I want to do but it probably wouldn’t be at the speed I want it to be. It’s one of those where I don’t want to hurt the team. I don’t want to put a team in a bad spot with me coming back at 50-, 60-, 70-percent. There’s guys in here that have done a great job of keeping us where we’re at. It’s just knowing your body, knowing who you are and putting yourself in a place to help the team.”
Does he anticipate playing if the Twins advance in the playoffs?
“That’s what we’re hoping,” Buxton answered. “The situation is the situation. I do what I can to not necessarily change their mind but make it a little harder.”
