MINNEAPOLIS -- As the offseason dawns, Byron Buxton finds himself in a position he wishes were less familiar: beginning rehabilitation from an injury.
Buxton underwent surgery earlier this month to repair an impingement in his right hip. He said he began physical therapy the very next day, but there’s still a long road ahead of him. He’s still on crutches for the time being, although the hope is that he will be ready for the 2027 season.
“It’s been good,” said Buxton. “I feel better. It’s good to be able to feel a little bit better since then. I’m moving around a little bit, so that’s progress, for sure.”
He had two stints on the injured list with the hope of knocking the condition out and playing unfettered, but when it recurred yet again, he was ultimately shut down and had the operation. He’s taking the process very day to day and not thinking about longer term goals or milestones.
“I [didn’t] ask” about a timeline, Buxton said. “My biggest thing right now is, one, just being able to get back to walking. I’m on crutches. When I start walking, I’ll start going through the next step.”
He expects that to be within the next few days, at which point he’ll start focusing on further steps in his recovery. While Buxton said he did not have an extensive conversation with the doctors regarding how exactly the surgery went, he did say that he was told it went well.
Buxton underwent arthroscopic surgery, which in layman’s terms means that to some extent the surgeon is not entirely sure exactly what the medical team will find or do before the procedure begins.
“They told me what the progress was and what to expect afterward,” he said. “It hasn’t been as painful as I thought it would be. There are a lot of positives in there that didn’t happen that they told me.”