Byron Buxton’s season has already been defined by the same problem that’s followed him for years, and now the Twins have a clearer picture of what comes next.
The Minnesota outfielder is likely to need offseason surgery on his right hip, a situation he said has been building since 2021. Buxton told Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star-Tribune that he’s aware the procedure is coming, but he plans to keep pushing until the pain tells him otherwise.
"Yeah, unfortunately, I know I’m going to have to get [surgery] done at some point,” Buxton said. “I’m going to go until it sparks me up again.
Then I’ll know, ‘All right, it’s time, bro.’ Until then, I’m just going to keep fighting.”
Buxton has been out of Minnesota’s lineup for the past nine days, and this latest absence is his third stint on the injured list this season because of the hip impingement. The 32-year-old, a former Platinum Glove Award winner in center field, has once again been forced to battle health issues that have interrupted his career.
Even with that uncertainty hanging over him, there’s still a path for Buxton to return before the year is over. The Twins are 3.5 games behind the third and final Wild Card spot in the AL Central race, so his bat could still matter if Minnesota makes a late push.
When he’s been on the field, Buxton has given the Twins real production. In 93 games, he’s hitting .254/.319/.511 with 25 home runs and 46 RBIs.
He has also backed off the running game a bit after swiping 24 bags without being caught in 2025.
In Other News...
Former Twins Infielder Finds Another Opportunity After Brief St. Paul Run
Orlando Arcias stint in the Twins organization was short, but it gave him a path back into the conversation after a rough start to 2025. He opened the season in Triple-A St. Paul after losing the backup shortstop job to Tristan Gray, then got to Minnesota in May before the roster squeeze caught up with him in June. Even so, Arcia played well enough in Triple-A to keep drawing attention.
Now he has landed another minor-league deal, this time with the Cincinnati Reds, and will report to their Triple-A affiliate. The fit makes some sense on paper, especially with Cincinnati looking for middle-infield depth after the injury to shortstop Elly De La Cruz, and it gives Arcia another chance to work his way back toward the majors after a brief stop in St. Paul. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twins Starter Gets Another Shot After Quick Toronto Exit
Simeon Woods Richardson is getting another crack at a big-league path after a brief stop in Toronto, signing a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners. The 25-year-old right-hander began the season with the Twins before being traded to the Blue Jays in June, and his latest move keeps alive a career that has already bounced between starting and relief work in the majors.
For Minnesota, it is another reminder of how quickly the pitching picture can change for a young arm. Woods Richardson never got much time to settle in with Toronto before being waived, and Seattle now offers a fresh landing spot as he looks to rebuild momentum and show he can still factor at the highest level. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Fans Have Every Right To Demand Accountability For This Collapse
The Twins entered September in a spot that feels a long way from where they were when the summer still offered hope, and the frustration around this stretch is easy to understand. A club that looked like it had enough traction to stay in the race instead stumbled through August, went 10-17, and now finds itself hanging around a crowded Wild Card chase with little room left to absorb another bad week.
Jeremy Zoll and Derek Shelton are part of the conversation because every collapse has layers, but this one also reflects the roster limits, the injuries, and the uneven production that have dragged the season off course. Ownership sits in the middle of it too, because when a team with this kind of midseason position slips into survival mode, fans are left asking not just what happened on the field, but who is accountable for building a club that could end up here. [Read more 🡒]