Buxton collected hits in the first, second and third innings against the Pirates before going yard in the seventh

Byron Buxton gets to be what he's constantly threatened, but never got to be: One of baseball's greatest forces. These first three months of

The Minnesota Twins have kept All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton out of Thursday's starting lineup due to a bruised left hand.

Pretty much every kid who swung a bat in the state of Georgia in the 1990s idolized Chipper Jones. The switch-hitting, smooth-fielding, do-it-all MVP of the dynasty-era Atlanta Braves inspired a generation of young ballplayers.

Buxton is 31, owed around $45 million from 2026-28 for a team that counts pennies, and has dealt with wrist, thumb, groin, head, toe, shoulder, hip, hand, and knee injuries, just to name a few, which too often have hindered one of the most-hyped prospects ever in an 11-year career.