Minnesota center fielder Byron Buxton left Friday’s game in Boston in the first inning due to a right knee injury after sliding into second base with a leadoff double.
Buxton screamed in pain and slapped the ground before hobbling off the field. Nick Gordon replaced Buxton and scored on a single by Luis Arraez to give the Twins a 1-0 lead over the Red Sox in a game Minnesota eventually won 8-4.
The Twins sent Buxton to get an MRI exam.
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said postgame of the prognosis, “He was walking around, so that’s probably the extent of what I know. We’re going to learn a lot more today and going forward. I wish I had more to give you, but right now, I don’t.”
Buxton, 28, signed a seven-year extension this offseason worth a reported $100 million.
He is batting .250 (6-for-24) through seven games this season with three home runs and four RBIs.
Since playing a career-high 140 games and winning a Gold Glove in 2017, the oft-injured Buxton played a total of 28, 87, 39 and 61 games during the 2018 through 2021 campaigns, respectively.
He batted .306 in 2021 with a career-high 19 home runs to go wtih 32 RBIs, 50 runs scored and nine stolen bases. His 1.005 OPS led American League hitters with at least 200 at-bats and ranked second in baseball after only National League MVP Bryce Harper (1.044) of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Twins selected Buxton with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft.
–Field Level Media
