The Twins are down their star outfielder in the run up to the trade deadline. Byron Buxton is going on the 10-day injured list with a right hip impingement, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Infielder Tristan Gray is being recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
It’s unfortunately a quick return to the IL for Buxton. The 32-year-old went down for a right hip strain on July 7th and only just returned on the 20th. He’s played in seven games since being activated, and they haven’t gone well, as Buxton’s batted just .160/.222/.160 in 27 plate appearances. All four of his hits in that span have been singles.
That’s a minor blip compared to how well Buxton has performed this year. In 362 plate appearances, he is batting .263/.320/.544 with 25 home runs and a 136 wRC+. He struck out 27.3% of the time last year, but he’s cut that to a more manageable 24.3% clip in 2026 while continuing to hit for power. Buxton is also still an asset on defense, with both Defensive Runs Saved (+1) and Outs Above Average (+3) viewing him favorably for his work in center field.
It goes without saying that Buxton is one of the Twins’ most valuable players and a key reason they’re still in contention at this point in the season. Despite last year’s deadline fire sale and only making minor additions over the offseason, the team enters tonight with an even 54-54 record. That has them only two games behind the AL Central-leading White Sox and just a half game behind the Guardians for the third AL Wild Card spot. General manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters yesterday that the team is approaching the August 3rd trade deadline as buyers.
That’s still going to be the case, but the absence of Buxton could increase the team’s urgency to add an outfielder at the deadline, in addition to upgrading their bullpen. While his previous IL stint was fairly short, Buxton was clearly diminished at the plate and may not have been 100% healed, so the team could proceed more cautiously this time around. If he ends up missing several weeks, the Twins could look to the market for a stopgap solution.
Lane Thomas is an impending free agent earning a modest $5.25MM salary for the Royals. He would require an intra-division trade, but the prospect cost shouldn’t be prohibitive. The Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho would be a good match for Buxton’s defense, though he’s earning a more expensive $10.75MM, with roughly $3.2MM remaining after the deadline. Other outfield options like Jake McCarthy and Lars Nootbaar can be controlled beyond 2026, so they might be more costly in a trade.
However Buxton’s injury affects the Twins’ deadline approach, their main goal will be getting him back to full health for the stretch run. In the meantime, they figure to slide Luke Keaschall from right field to center, as they did from July 8-19 while Buxton was out. That will give Alan Roden some playing time in right in the short term.
Turning to Gray, the 30-year-old gets called up to fill a backup infield spot. He’s taken 182 plate appearances for the Twins this year, batting .232/.271/.333 with a 66 wRC+. He’s striking out at an alarming 31.3% clip while also grading out poorly on defense. Gray is worth -7 DRS and -7 OAA in 263 innings at shortstop, though he’s viewed more favorably at the hot corner (2 OAA).
Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images
