Byron Buxton Named Twins’ Designated Hitter to Start Season

The Minnesota Twins regular season starts on March 30. Superstar centerfielder, Byron Buxton, took his first MLB spring training at-bats on Tuesday (March 21), as part of a build up process to start 2023. He went 1/3 with a double and Carlos Correa drove him in from second base with a 1st inning HR.

Byron Buxton the designated hitter

Buxton wasn’t in centerfield, though. Instead, he was penciled in at designated hitter. That’s no surprise, given it was his first appearance of spring training. But Rocco Baldelli told reporters after the game that DH isn’t just Byron’s spring launching point, it’s the position he will play to start the regular season.

Rocco says that Byron Buxton will be the #MNTwins DH to start the season.

He's "doing great" health-wise, and Rocco said their plan to get a full season out of Buxton is to DH him early in the year to keep him in the lineup as much as possible as they keep building him up in CF.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) March 22, 2023

The Twins are using a three-stage plan to get Byron Buxton ready for the 2023 MLB season and part of that plan is that he doesn’t play the field at all until the season is well underway. It’s an interesting strategy and the latest in an extreme effort to keep the most talented guy on their roster healthy for as much of the season as possible.

While I’m not normally for babying anyone, I can’t hate this approach. The entire Twins season and foreseeable future depend on Buxton staying healthy. We’ll see soon if their efforts pay off.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan