Byron Buxton scratched from lineup with back tightness

Buxton and the Twins open the season March 28 in Kansas City.

Byron Buxton is having a tremendous spring training but there is now a new level of concern after he was scratched from the lineup Monday with lower back tightness. 

If it's just a tight back, it's might be no big deal and he's just getting a day to loosen up. But any time Buxton has a health issue it raises concern. He played in just 85 games last season after hamstring and knee injuries sidelined and ended his year prematurely. 

He underwent surgery on his knee over the winter and he came into camp feeling better than he had in years, saying "the pain is gone" and that he had spent the past couple o years "waking up feeling like a knife" was in his knee. 

Buxton is hitting .333/.407/.667 with a homer, double and two triples in nine games this spring. It's a small sample size, but eight hits in 24 at-bats and he's struck out just four times. He flashed with a diving catch in center field on Saturday. 

The Twins are hoping Buxton can mimic his 2020 COVID-shortened season in which he played in 61 games and slashed .306/.358/.647 with 19 homers and 23 doubles in just 235 at-bats. 

Baseball is better with

Byron Buxton in the outfield 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Fr7F4Mw2qh

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) March 16, 2024

Jul 29, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Byron Buxton (25) celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium / Credit: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports