The Minnesota Twins have made an unfortunate announcement just days before the MLB trade deadline is set to expire on Aug. 3.
Minnesota has revealed that it will be placing star outfielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list due to right hip impingement. Buxton was just activated from the injured list on July 20, so it’s a quick return for the slugger.
The Twins are currently just two games back of first place in the American League Central, while trailing the wild-card race by 0.5 games.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/OYUiz8LD09
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 29, 2026
Byron Buxton Injury
The Twins originally removed the star outfielder from Tuesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals due to right hip soreness. This injury seems to be a re-aggravation of a nagging hip problem that has bothered him since May.
Buxton has played in seven games since returning from injury, and it hasn’t gone well for the veteran. The All-Star has batted just .160/.222/.160 in 27 plate appearances, showing real signs of concern around his injury.
In these games, Buxton only generated four hits, all of which were singles. Overall, Buxton has been in the midst of a great season for the Twins, hitting .263 on the year.
The slugger has 25 home runs and 45 RBIs, while putting up an OPS of .864 over 82 games played. The veteran is also still excellent defensively, with Buxton’s Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average being positive for his work in center field.
Buxton is one of the more talented players in baseball, but injuries have limited his time on the field over the last few seasons. The veteran hasn’t played in more than 126 games in a season since 2017.
This has hurt the overall ceiling of the Twins, and this is now another unfortunate injury to the star outfielder. Minnesota recalled infielder Tristan Gray from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
All Minnesota can do is hope for the best now, giving him ample time to recover from the injury. But given his history, this may be a longer stay on the injured list to make sure he is healthy for the stretch run.
Byron Buxton Trade Rumors
Buxton going out will likely hurt the Twins’ playoff chances, but the team has been dealing with trade rumors around him. While the team can still move him, any interested teams will want to make sure that he is healthy before making a deal.
The veteran has a no-trade clause, and to this point, he hasn’t been willing to move it. Teams all over the league have been trying to land Buxton from Minnesota for years, but the slugger has remained loyal to the Twins.
With the injury, the likelihood of Buxton being traded has dropped dramatically. Additionally, the Twins have been looking to go after a playoff spot, and if this team can stay in the race while Buxton recovers, anything is possible.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic also weighed in on the rumors around Buxton, throwing cold water on trade talks.
“I don’t expect them to trade Byron Buxton. Their new control person, Tom Pollad, has been pretty vocal about wanting to make this team good again after what they did last year at the deadline when they were the biggest sellers by far,” Rosenthal said.
Only time will tell how this situation plays out, but the Twins losing Buxton is tough to swallow, trade rumors or not.
Twins Reveal Concerning Byron Buxton Injury Update Amid Trade Rumors