Byron Buxton made his return to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday at the Field of Dreams against the Philadelphia Phillies, and even in a loss, the night offered a reminder of why he still matters so much to this club.
Buxton had been out since July 28 against the Kansas City Royals, and he came back with a solid showing, going 1-for-4 with a double. But the bigger moment came before the game, when he sat down with MLB Network and addressed the question that always seems to hover around him: why stay in Minnesota when his name keeps surfacing in trade talk?
Buxton didn’t leave much room for interpretation.
"Before I got drafted," Buxton said. "My mom and dad taught me loyalty and people back home, there were some things I couldn't do, they stepped up when my parents couldn't be there for me or things like that where it taught me don't forget the people who got you to where you are."
"Minnesota gave me that opportunity to fulfill my dream of becoming a baseball player - not just a baseball player, a professional baseball player... Loyalty is everything to me."
That answer fits the way Buxton has long been viewed inside the organization. He has a no-trade clause in his contract, and the idea of him eventually moving on keeps coming up anyway. But his own words made his position pretty plain: he sees himself as a Twin.
Buxton also has a role model in former Twins teammate and Hall of Famer Joe Mauer, and the chance to debut alongside Mauer clearly left an impression. He wants to be remembered the same way, as one of the defining names tied to Minnesota.
And from a baseball standpoint, his return matters. The Twins have youth starting to push forward, the AL Central is still there for the taking, and Buxton in the middle of the lineup changes the feel of the whole offense. A healthy Buxton gives Minnesota a presence it simply doesn’t have without him.
For now, the message is straightforward. Byron Buxton is back, and he’s still saying he belongs in Minnesota.
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