Byron Buxton Ejected from Rehab Game

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Byron Buxton
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Byron Buxton has been away from the Minnesota Twins for quite some time. Initially suggested as minor hip discomfort, the star centerfielder has been on the shelf for nearly a month. Within sniffing distance of a return, he found himself in a less-than-comical situation at Triple-A.

Ump show gets stuffy with Minnesota Twins Byron Buxton

The purpose of putting Byron Buxton in a few games for the St. Paul Saints is simply to get at bats. The results aren’t terribly important, and the goal is to stay in the game. After handing Byron Buxton a strike for a pitch clock violation, something named Willie Traynor threw the big leaguer out of the game.

With a 1-1 count., Buxton asks Traynor for time and appears to be granted it. The pitch clock never restarted however, and the umpire assessed him a strike. The Twins outfielder can be heard saying “how are you going to start the clock when I’m not even in the box.”

That further indicates that Traynor allowed Buxton his request for time. By rule, the pitch clock should not have been running, and no violation necessary to call. Here’s the entire exchange…

After the inning concluded Traynor threw Buxton out of the game. Buxton can be seen mouthing, “are you serious, man, f*** that,” and Saints play-by-play man Sean Aronson commented that he has never seen a rehabbing major leaguer be ejected. St. Paul manager Toby Gardenhire was dumbfounded.

Related: 5 Minnesota Twins Hitters We Trust Most in the Clutch

In 760 career big league games Byron Buxton has never been ejected. He added one to his farm total Wednesday.

Minnesota Twins need Byron Buxton back

The Twins lineup has been in flux without the presence of both Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa. While they have been able to stay afloat among AL Central competition, the gap has not closed with the Cleveland Guardians. The plan will likely be to have the outfielder meet Minnesota in Kansas City for the weekend series against the Royals.

Buxton has an .862 OPS on the season and has been well above a 1.000 OPS for the last two months. The outfield defense relies on him in centerfield to set everything else up. If this marks the end of his rehab assignment, Buxton will have gone 1-for-5 with multiple hard hit balls

Related: Minnesota Twins Play Royce Lewis at 2nd Base Against His Wishes

The Twins find themselves still well-positioned to make the postseason. That isn’t something they want to back into however.

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