Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters including MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung ParkThe Byron Buxton will work primarily at designated hitters early in the season. According to Baldelli, while Buxton is “doing great” health wise, he wants to use him as DH earlier this year to hopefully keep him healthy for the full 2023 season. Baldelli didn’t say how long that would take, other than that the club planned to build him up more slowly to work in midfield.
This decision will certainly hurt Buxton’s value earlier in the year as despite his outstanding performances on the plate (150 wRC+ in the 2021-22 seasons) he can attribute a large part of his value to being among the best defensive midfielders in the sport. That being said, it’s an understandable plan for the twins to go into the season anyway. Buxton only played 100 games once in his career in 2017.
Since then he has played just 307 games and reached just 92 contests last year before suffering a right hip strain in August. Buxton was also playing with right knee problems up to this point, ultimately opting to call things off once the twins were eliminated from playoff contention. In September he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee.
The defensive drop created by using Buxton as a DH may not be as severe as one would expect given the Twins’ superb outfield defense. Michael A Taylor, who the Twins acquired from the Royals earlier this offseason, has posted +22 outs above average for the past two seasons. With Taylor occupying midfield while being flanked Joey Gallo And Max Kepler In the outfield corners, the Twins will maintain Gold Glove-caliber defense throughout the outfield, even when Buxton is off the field.
The Twins don’t go into 2023 with an established designated hitter. Square infielders Alex Kirilloff And Jose Miranda can rotate through these spots while infielders are useful Nick Gordon And Donovan Solano could get repeats there too. With Jorg Polanco The twins may start the season on the injured list and may have to rely on this second base duo early on. Polanco has slowly ramped up this spring after his 2022 campaign was cut short by a left knee problem.