CHICAGO – Twins manager Derek Shelton acknowledged prior to the Twins' 4-1 loss to the White Sox on Friday that surgery is looking likely for Byron Buxton as the star outfielder looks to recover from a long, troublesome right hip impingement. But before that, Buxton still hopes to find a way to play for the Twins in 2026 if possible.
“Yeah, I think surgery is part of it,” Shelton said. “I think [general manager Jeremy Zoll] kind of mentioned that when we initially talked about it when Walker [Jenkins] came up. To be specific on what the surgery is, we can't until we get to that point. I'm not going to speculate on that. We see where he's at over the next week, the next few days, wherever he's at and see how it improves. And then when we have to make the determination on where he's at, then we'll do it from there.”
Buxton has dealt with hip issues off and on dating as far back as 2021. He didn’t experience any significant problems with the joint last year as he enjoyed his healthiest season in years, but it flared up on him in May of this season.
He continued to play at an extremely high level while managing the condition into July, but a recurrence sent him to the injured list over the All-Star break. Upon returning, Buxton has been unable to produce at the level he did in the first half, and this is his third IL stint of 2026 due to the injury.
The most recent IL stint officially began Aug. 30 after he suffered a recurrence on Aug. 25 in Sacramento. Buxton is with the team as they begin a six-game road trip to Chicago and Detroit, but he has not yet begun baseball activities.
“The difficulty is because you've got to work your way back into baseball activity,” Shelton said. “The other thing is, we only [have] 22 games left. There's a combination of things. The biggest component to this is the teammate that Buck is, and his want to get back. We owe it to him to be able to explore all those options before we go down a different route.”
Twins mull rotation options
Joe Ryan will throw a bullpen Saturday as he attempts to return after missing the past month due to a strained left glute. Shelton declined to speculate on what the next step for the right-hander would be, but the timing may offer some clue.
The Twins generally have starters throw a bullpen two days before they pitch in a game, so typically a pitcher who threw a bullpen on Saturday would start on Monday. Minnesota begins a three-game series in Detroit on Monday, while all of the club’s full-season Minor League affiliates are off, so he could not make a rehab start two days after the throw.
That doesn’t mean they couldn’t adjust the usual plan, but it does at least seem to be a clue.
“We want to be able to have a conversation with him,” Shelton said. “Want him to go through his bullpen and see where he’s at to make sure that we’re checking all the boxes before he gets back in a Major League game.”
Monday would be Connor Prielipp’s next turn in the rotation, though the club has not announced starters for Detroit. If Ryan were to slot in on Monday, Minnesota could push Prielipp back one or even two days, with Dean Kremer possibly starting on five days’ rest Tuesday, or even farther than that. Unsurprisingly, Shelton offered no hints as to how Ryan’s potential return might affect Prielipp.
“That’s cart before the horse,” he said. “Once we get to the point of knowing where he’s at, then I think we can figure out the rest of our rotation.”
Fedde shuts Twins down
For the third time in as many starts this year, Erick Fedde stifled the Twins on Friday. Fedde pitched five shutout innings, giving him a 1.20 ERA in three starts against Minnesota this year and 1.29 since the beginning of 2025.
“He has an interesting arm slot,” said Josh Bell, who homered in the ninth off Grant Talyor. “Just kind of tough to pick up the change in spin with the sinker and the cutter. He located pretty well and stayed out of the heart of the zone for the most part. Tip your cap. Another good outing for him.”