Twins great Byron Buxton news still favors the Astros

2023-10-12 04:52

Facing elimination in the ALDS, the Minnesota Twins will be getting star outfielder Byron Buxton back. Unfortunately, that might be the good news they hoped for against the Astros.

The Minnesota Twins were forced to replace Alex Kiriloff on the ALDS roster due to an injury heading into a win-or-go-home Game 3 against the Houston Astros on Wednesday evening. While that might sound like bad news, Twins fans had to be excited to see that star outfielder Byron Buxton was the replacement put on the roster.

Buxton was initially left off of the ALDS roster while dealing with a hamstring strain suffered at the end of this season, an injury-riddled year for the OF/DH wherein he was limited to 85 games. Though he hit only .207 for the season, Buxton's power an speed remained elite weapons for the Twins offense.

As such, adding him to this roster in an elimination scenario might seem like a win for Minnesota. Unfortunately, history says it's still advantage Astros, specifically as it pertains to Buxton.

Byron Buxton has been woeful against Jose Urquidy, Astros

The Astros will start Jose Urquidy in Game 4 on Wednesday and Buxton's history against the righty, though limited, has not been good. In five plate appearances, the Twins star has just a single to show for his efforts at the plate along with one strikeout as well.

Even worse for Minnesota, Buxton's performance against the Astros as a whole in his career has been less than stellar. In 37 plate appearances, he has slashed just .200/.243/.400 with only three extra-base hits (two homers), four RBI and 15 strikeouts. Not exactly a game-changer.

And if that weren't enough, it remains to be seen if Buxton will even be a factor in the game at all. He played exclusively as a DH when healthy this season, so his presence in the field is already in question. But on top of that, he's not in the lineup to start the game for the Twins either, meaning that he will be used in a limited or substitute role at best.

It could very well be a morale boost to get Buxton back in the dugout and potentially into the batter's box. But when you look at the numbers against the Astros, it still feels like the Twins star's return may not actually move the needle all that much.