Buxton Not Called Up for September; Front Office Admits Strained Relationship

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Photo credit: Robert Sabo (New York Daily News)

Rumors started swirling earlier this week, that the Minnesota Twins weren’t sure they were going to call-up Byron Buxton from AAA Rochester, as part of their September call-up list, despite his recent surge in AAA.

The Twins had their chance to shut Buxton down for the season, when he went down with yet another injury in mid-July; this time, it was his wrist. But, that’s not what happened.

Buxton was activated off the disabled list on August 14th and was inserted into the Rochester lineup the next day. But, the news certainly wasn’t bad. It must’ve mean that Buxton is feeling much better after recovering a lot of the season from wrist injuries, toe injuries, and headaches… And, as you can see from the table above, he is playing like he’s healthy (although he’s had us fooled with his minor-league successes in the past).

And then, the announcement was made:

The Minnesota Twins announced their September call-ups earlier this weekend. They included Chris Gimenez, Johnny Field, Tyler Duffey, Matt Belisle, and Andrew Vasquez. An interesting list, with one glaring omission:

Yeah that’s right, the Twins are not going to call up former top prospect Byron Buxton. The reactions to the news have been about what you would expect:

 

Frankly, I’m dumbfounded by the decision to simply send him home once the season is finished for Rochester. I mean this is absurd.. Buxton is in the midst of a season he’s mostly missed due to injury, and after a torrid second half last year plus a hot bat (.341 AVG, 9 RS) since joining the Red Wings lineups a few weeks ago, it seems odd that the Twins wouldn’t want him to get at-bats to finish the season.

At least he can get a fresh start next year right?

WAIT ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Safe to say the Twins have completely botched their handling of Buxton all damn year. But while the Twins are attempting to justify their decision they seem keenly aware of the effect their decision has on his future free agency status (he will be under team control through 2022; just 13 games shy of eligibility for 2019)  and what kind of impact this decision may have on the long-term relationship between Buxton and the Twins’ Organization…

Now Buxton hasn’t exactly helped his case with his hitting performance at the MLB level. But his time in the majors has included multiple swing tweaks, a desire for him to hit the ball on the ground more (which is insane), and inconsistencies on his position in the lineup. Oh, and let us not forget: “to leg kick or not to leg kick… that is the question…”

So while the Twins have handed out major minor league stints to both Buxton and Miguel Sano, they seem perfectly content to let the likes of Matt Belisle and Chris Gimenez continue to pitch (even though one of those guys is not an actual pitcher). And a season that started with such promise has now ended the same way so many have recently…

“Better luck next year”

Seth Toupal @SethToups
Minnesota Sports Fan

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