BOSTON — Byron Buxton played his 500th game as a Twin on Friday. The Twins fear it may be awhile before he plays his 501st.
Buxton suffered a leg injury while sliding into second base during the first inning of Friday's game in Fenway Park, and immediately walked off the field, with Nick Gordon taking his place. The Twins said Buxton has right knee soreness and is still being evaluated.
The injury occurred after Buxton hit a high popup to shallow left-center, where the winds fooled shortstop Xander Bogaerts and left fielder Alex Verdugo. The ball fell between the fielders, and Buxton, rounding first at the time, suddenly sped up and raced to second base ahead of a throw from Verdugo.
But Buxton slid awkwardly, feet-first, into the bag, and it appeared his left leg was caught underneath him as he slid. The 28-year-old center fielder slapped the ground in anguish over what he felt in his leg, then quickly got to his feet and walked to the Twins' dugout, holding his helmet in front of his face to mask his emotions as manager Rocco Baldelli, third base coach Tommy Watkins and athletic trainer Michael Salazar ran toward him.
Buxton was removed from the game, with Nick Gordon taking his place as a pinch-runner.
Gordon scored on a single by Luis Arraez and the Twins expanded their lead to 4-1 in the third inning, with two of those runs coming on a home run by Miguel Sano.
The incident, reminiscent of the hamstring injury Josh Donaldson suffered in the first inning of the Twins' 2021 season-opener in Milwaukee, adds to the long list of physical problems that Buxton has suffered throughout his career. The Platinum Glove outfielder, who in December signed a seven-year, $100 million contract, has been placed on the injured list 12 times by the Twins in his eight-year career, plus four other times while in the minor leagues.
Last season, Buxton missed five weeks after suffering a strained right hip in early May, and more than two months after fracturing his left hand. playing a total of only 61 of the Twins' 162 games. Since staying healthy enough to appear in 140 games in 2017, Buxton has appeared in only 222 of a possible 553 games.
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