Twins outfielder Byron Buxton exited Team USA's World Baseball Classic opener after being hit by a pitch in the fifth inning, but avoided serious injury.
"He got hit on the forearm. X-rays are fine. Just caught him in the meat of his forearm," USA manager Mark DeRosa said after Friday's 15-5 win. "I just felt 7-1 at the time, get [Pete Crow-Armstrong] in there, get him off his feet and get him right."
Buxton, who hit eighth and started in center field, initially stayed in the game and scored on Brice Turang's three-run double before being pulled to begin the sixth inning.
That Buxton escaped unscathed is especially encouraging news for the two-time All-Star, who has been marred by injuries throughout his career. The 32-year-old appeared in 126 games for the Twins in 2025, only the third time he has played more than 100 games in a season in his 11-year career.
It's also a big development for a Team USA outfield that already lost Corbin Carroll to a broken hamate bone before the WBC even began.