Twins GM shuts down Buxton trade rumors

MINNEAPOLIS – You can put those Byron Buxton trade rumors to rest. Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll flatly said before Tuesday's 12-3 loss to the Dodgers that the club has no interest in trading its signature player after rumors swirled recently regarding his potential availability.

“We have no plans to trade Byron,” Zoll said. “It’s not something we’re exploring. It’s not something we plan to explore. We continue to have productive discussions with Byron. I think he was very clear on that point last week. But also just from my seat, from the Twins’ perspective, that’s not something that we plan to explore. Just wanted to hit that head on.”

A recent ESPN report mooted Buxton as a potential trade candidate as the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaches. Buxton, who has full no-trade protection, told the Athletic last week that he had no interest in waiving his no-trade clause. It was a reiteration of something he’s expressed on multiple previous occasions. Buxton has made it clear he hopes to spend his entire career in a Twins uniform.

However, Buxton also said this spring that he’d appreciate the club expressing similar sentiments. On Tuesday, Zoll did just that.

“We had good chats in Spring Training,” Zoll said. “I’ve been fortunate to have a relationship with Byron my entire tenure in the various roles that I’ve had. He’s having an unbelievable season. He’s a special player. He wants to be here. We want him to be here. I think to just get that out there makes a lot of sense, especially given a lot of speculation being thrown out there that’s not actually rooted in fact.”

The Twins’ status as the Trade Deadline approaches, broadly, is uncertain. They’re in playoff contention but also below .500 with a negative run differential. Catcher Ryan Jeffers can be a free agent after the year ends, and right-hander Joe Ryan would draw immense interest if he were made available. But Minnesota could very well choose to hold or even buy, with needs in the bullpen and potentially the rotation as well.

“We’ve been clear all along: we’re hoping to be competitive this year,” Zoll said. “I think we’re right in the thick of it and want to let this next stretch play out and give the group every chance we can to make to make that a reality and really pleased with where it’s at so we’re going to just let that continue to unfold and feel like a handful of games out of the division, right in the thick of things with the Wild Card so going to keep pushing forward and that remains our focus at this time.”

Injury updates

Zoll also provided updates on several rehabbing Twins players.

• Right-hander Mick Abel’s MRI showed no damage to his ulnar collateral ligament or flexor tendon. Nonetheless, Abel has recurrent swelling in his elbow and will not pitch for a while. The club is waiting on a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister on Abel’s exam, and pending that, arthroscopic surgery is one possibility.

“We tried the cortisone injection,” Zoll said. “Sometimes these things work and resolve the issue, and in this case, it unfortunately did not. So we now explore options, which could be trying the same process again or going down something like a scope of the elbow.”

• Righty Bailey Ober threw an extended bullpen session on Tuesday as he attempts to come back from elbow inflammation. He’ll throw another bullpen on Friday, and it’s possible he could advance to facing hitters after that.

• Emmanuel Rodriguez, the Twins’ No. 4 prospect, had a follow-up exam on Tuesday on his injured left thumb and is progressing well. He has not yet begun swinging a bat and likely will not return to action before August.