Minnesota Twins Star Back in for Team USA

By    |  
Updated:
Follow Us
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins continue to work through their Spring Training activities with Grapefruit League action nearing a close. Opening Day is right around the corner on March 26th, and Derek Shelton needs his team to be ready.

On Tuesday night Team USA is back in action, playing for a World Baseball Classic championship. The Americans haven’t not won it all since 2017, and Mark DeRosa would like to be the man who changes those fortunes.

Byron Buxton hasn’t started since March 9th against Mexico. Although he did get late-game appearances throughout the knockout round, he’s back in the starting lineup against Venezuela.

Byron Buxton repping MN Twins for Team USA in title game

After Joe Ryan was passed over to start the championship game for Team USA, it is just Byron Buxton representing the Minnesota Twins on the world stage. After sitting the past three games, he’s batting ninth and starting in center field for the star-studded club.

In Buxton’s initial starts for DeRosa, he batted eighth. Against the Venezuelans in the championship game, he’ll look to get at opposing starter Eduardo Rodriguez from the nine hole.

The time spent with Team USA hasn’t exactly prepped Buxton for regular season action. He’s been out of Minnesota Twins camp since March 4th and has just eight plate appearances to show for it. He has gone 0-for-6 in those appearances.

Before leaving Twins camp, Buxton was 3-for-13 with two doubles in 17 plate appearances. He is coming off an MVP-caliber 2025 season in which he owned a 136 OPS+ and launched 35 homers.

Manager Mark DeRosa hasn’t exactly shined during this tournament. Questionable pitching decisions, and a public appearance that basically exposed him for not knowing the elimination scenario his team faced, have been just some of the missteps. With Buxton back in the lineup Tuesday and Nolan McLean getting the chance to rebound, DeRosa will not have many places to hide if The American squad cannot get the job done.

More cuts from Minnesota Twins camp

While Buxton is currently out of Twins camp with Team USA, he still is among the numbers counted as present. After a 2-0 loss against Philadelphia in Clearwater, three more cuts were made to drop the total in Fort Myers to 42.

There aren’t any surprises in this trio. All three are non-roster invitees without having cracked a spot on the 40-man roster. However, each of them should be expected to play at Triple-A St. Paul.

Fedko was left unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft after hitting 28 homers and stealing 38 bases last year. He went just 3-for-23 this spring, and didn’t push for a roster spot. A strong start could have him back in consideration, though.

Schobel was already at Triple-A St. Paul last season, so he’s likely back as infield depth. Rosario parlayed a strong Arizona Fall League appearance in 2024 into an .844 OPS at Double-A last season. A former 5th round pick, he’ll have every opportunity to cement himself as a Saints regular before earning a promotion to the big leagues.

With just nine days left until Opening Day, Minnesota is on the hook for 16 more cuts to solidify the 26-man roster.

Mentioned in this article:

More About:

0What do you think?Post a comment.

Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google.Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google.