Byron Buxton still day to day, but MRI comes back clean

Buxton exited Monday night's game against the Royals due to right hip discomfort.

Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) hits a solo home run during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field in Minneapolis on Aug. 11, 2024. / Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins got good news on Tuesday when Byron Buxton’s MRI came back clean following his exit from Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals due to right hip discomfort, but it remains unclear whether Buxton will miss time. He’s currently listed as day to day. 

Buxton is out of the lineup again for Wednesday’s series finale against the Royals.

“There was some good news on the MRI, actually. Symptomatically, though, I’d say he could, you know, he could feel better,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. 

It’s yet to be determined whether Buxton will be able to return to the lineup in short order and avoid a stay on the injured list. It appears both remain a possibility, and the course of action will be determined depending on how Buxton is feeling in the next few days. 

“We want to do what’s best for him and for the team looking forward, not just this week or the next three or four or five days. We’re going to have to really see how he’s doing and make some final decisions as to whether or not we’re going to get him back out there on the field soon, or if he’s going to be out for a little while. I wouldn’t say a long while but a little while,” Baldelli said.

Ideally for the Twins, the little while would come without a stay on the injured list. Buxton has been particularly good of late and is hitting .275, has a .334 on-base percentage, a .528 slugging percentage and a .862 OPS this season. He’s hit 16 homers and has 49 RBIs. 

In Sunday’s series finale against the Cleveland Guardians — the game before he went down — Buxton hit two homers to spark a Twins rally that came up just short in a 5-3 loss. 

The Twins and Royals meet for their series finale at 12:10 p.m. on Wednesday.