Buxton's Hip Ends His Season, and Minnesota's Power Ceiling With It

Byron Buxton is done. The Twins confirmed he's headed for surgery on the right hip that has nagged him all year, ending a season in which he hit 17 home runs in just 50 games. That rate of production — that kind of pop packed into that few plate appearances — is what made him the most dangerous bat in the lineup when he was upright. Now he won't be.

The timing is about as bad as it gets. Minnesota sits 65-76, 4.5 games back of the final wild-card spot with 21 games left and an elimination number of 26. The margin was already thin. In center field, Ryan Kreidler and Luke Keaschall are the next options in line, and neither profiles as a power threat. Alan Roden has logged time out there too, and his .279 average doesn't move the needle much. The lineup still has pieces — Ryan Jeffers has been steady all year, and Kaelen Culpepper has hit well in his 21 games — but nobody in that group replaces what Buxton does when he's locked in.

This is also the latest chapter in a season-long injury story that has worn this organization down. Pablo Lopez, Cole Sands, David Festa — the pitching staff has been gutted. Buxton's hip has been a recurring problem since at least July, and the surgery now makes official what the IL stints were already suggesting. The Twins knew this was coming; they just kept hoping it wouldn't.

Joe Ryan is back, Taj Bradley has been excellent at 12-6, and the offense has been scoring at a better clip lately. There's still a path. But it runs through 21 games without the one hitter who could change a game with a single swing, and that's a real thing to ask of this group.