It happened so quickly you'd swear it was planned.
Royce Lewis got off the IL, immediately started hitting, helped the Twins power back to 2nd place, and then immediately got hurt again. The man has played 24 games this season and yet still feels like one of their most pivotal players. And even he knew, when he felt something this time around, he's been hurt so many times that he was going 'yeah I'll probably be out some time'. You have to feel for this guy! There is something about Royce Lewis that just makes him get injured way easily than other players, and at the most inopportune times.
Which is funny, because the Twins already have a guy who gets injured at inopportune times, and he's actually healthy right now.
Byron Buxton, the last couple years, has just been unlucky. He's been very good, of course, and his power numbers have kept the Twins fighting, but last year he was coming back from an injury and very clearly not at 100%. Not only was he a defensive liability that they had to keep at DH, but he wasn't hitting. And this came after a 2022 season where he felt revitalized, fully-formed and so reliable. Yet to this day, Buxton's only played in one season where he broke 100 games. He's always injured midyear, or starts surging and doesn't make it to the All-Star break, or some calamity unfolds. This year he's already missed some time.
Right now, though, even as he rounds 30, we're seeing peak Buxton. He's hitting .262 with 8 homers and 34 RBIs, he's been hot in the last few weeks, and he's a big reason why the Twins are still surging. The Twins, even as they've rebuilt and brought up these new guys, are still very much relying on Buxton and Kepler, who are still very good and very foundational. And they've also gotten good years out of veterans like Carlos Correa and Carlos Santana. They've built a strong enough core that multiple people can be the hero, and the team isn't thrown into chaos if a big piece like Lewis gets hurt.
To give you an idea, after Lewis's injury, the Twins brought up big infield prospect Brooks Lee. In two games, Lee already has 3 hits and 2 RBIs. As much as I worry about what happens if Lee, Lewis and Correa are all healthy at the same time [like, who moves to second?], it is good to have an immediate young option like that who's MLB-ready.
The Twins' momentum could be in jeopardy, as they have to play the Astros this weekend, and the Astros, because somebody up there hates me, have the best record in baseball in the past few weeks. The good news is the Twins get to hit against three of the Astros' most vulnerable pitchers. The bad news is pretty much everybody on the Astros is hitting, and they're trying to make up all this lost time from April. The Twins need to win this series to reestablish their legitimacy and stay above Kansas City. If Buxton can stay hot and keep the Astros at bay, it'll be a very good thing.
Coming Tomorrow- Dombrowski's looking really silly for giving this guy up about now.
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