Byron Buxton on foot injury: "Blessed that it wasn't worse"

Byron Buxton claimed he'll be ready for Opening Day two days after bruising his left foot and being carted off the field during an intrasquad game.

"I'm just blessed that it wasn't worse," Buxton said of twisting his foot while chasing a fly in center field. "I got ready to make that cut, felt a small little pop and definitely it was one of those things that didn't feel right — kind of sharp pain immediately … it kind of just freaked me out.

"I'm a little sore, but Opening Day, I will be there. Nothing's going to stop me."

Buxton is coming off shoulder surgery, and wasn't likely to be ready for the original start of the season. He had been sharp in the Target Field camp before his foot injury, and said he worked hard during the three-month pause in play while back home in Georgia.

"This little time off kind of gave me time to … work a little bit harder on my swing as well," he said. "I had guys back home throwing to me quite a bit, just to see the ball up there in live at-bats, so I worked most of the time during that off time."

Buxton will rehab for a few days before the team leaves for Chicago.

"I haven't done too much [yet]," he said. "I walk in the pool with the water and kind of take it day by day. Like I said, it's pain management, so the less pain I have, the more I do. The more pain I have, the less I do."