Offseason Knee Surgery on the Table for Byron Buxton, Twins

Byron Buxton is not playing this weekend vs the Detroit Tigers, after having a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection into his right knee on Wednesday, following his All-Star game appearance.

The purpose: To make his knee as strong as possible before starting the 2nd half of the 2022 season. The Minnesota Twins are calling Buxton’s injury “patellar tendinitis“. If true, and the evidence adds up that it is (see below), then it’s a severe case. One that Buxton and Baldelli both admitted, on Saturday, could very well require offseason surgery.

Buxton said he has just “chilled” the past couple days. Baldelli said it’s unsure whether rest alone will fix the problem, and the team has planned for several possible scenarios, including a surgery. But Baldelli said that decision won’t come until the season ends. – Megan Ryan (Star Tribune)

“It’s probably one of those things I’ll have to deal with throughout the season,” Buxton said. “I do stuff to kind of manage it now to relieve stuff. But for me, it’s just win. As long as we win, I don’t care. I can deal with it after.” – Byron Buxton (via Star Tribune)

Patellar Tendonitis Surgery + Recovery

According to the National Library of Medicine, 90% of patellar tendonitis cases can be effectively treated with more conservative measures. Mayo Clinic, for example, notes that platelet rich plasma injections are often an effective non-invasive treatment to try, before opting for surgery.

But that 90% success rate means that more conservative methods fail 10% of the time. And in those rarer cases, surgery is required. The recovery time from patellar tendonitis surgery is 6-12 weeks, according to the Library of Medicine.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Twins