Byron Buxton prepares (reluctantly) to be a Twins designated hitter. 'I'm a center fielder'

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Twins' designated hitter in 2023 will bat from both sides of the plate.

He'll be fast. And slow. And somewhere in between.

He'll steal bases. And be ordered to stay put.

He'll hit for power, and average, and draw walks. Or not.

He'll be young, and experienced.

He'll DH because of statistical prowess or sore feet.

The Twins' DH in 2023 will be … anyone on the roster who owns a game-used bat.

"You could probably name just about every guy out there in the regular lineup that's going to have some time at DH,'' Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "I could waste everyone's energy and start listing all of them. There's a lot of them, so we're going to have some options.''

Baldelli noted that if the Twins still employed Nelson Cruz, or someone like him, they would use him as a full-time DH. They don't, so the DH slot will be used to give a player a day off the field, or employ players who match up well with the opponent's starting pitcher.

Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco, who have been frequently hampered by injuries, will be given days at DH to rest their legs. Carlos Correa could DH when the Twins want to get backup shortstop Kyle Farmer into the lineup.

Then there are the Twins' young, promising hitters — Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner and Kyle Garlick — who could make the lineup deeper and more powerful if they can win roster spots and produce when used at DH.

"It's a good way to use the DH slot,'' Baldelli said. "There have been guys in the game like Nelson Cruz and David Ortiz who really fit that spot. Well, if you have guys like that, you're going to go with guys like that.

"But I think for most clubs, the best way to do it is to rotate that thing around.''

This, like most conversations in the Twins' spring training camp, leads back to Buxton. Last year, he started 51 games in center field and 34 at DH, as the Twins tried to avoid overworking his injured right knee and hip.

There was a contradiction inherent in that strategy, because there were times last year when Buxton felt more pain when he swung than when he ran.

Buxton this week expressed a disdain for the DH spot, saying that the role is hardly restful, and that being in the dugout limits his value.

"It is what it is,'' Buxton said. "I'm a center fielder, so anything that has to do with me getting somebody else out, I'm all in. It's different for me. I did a little bit of it last year, so I got into the mind-set, got more reps with it.

"So I'm a little more prepared this year.''

Is it like having a day off? "No, no,'' he said. "If it were a day off, I wouldn't be swinging in between at-bats. That's more than you do on a day off. That's more than you swing when you're in the game. People don't realize that at DH you have to stay loose. You don't just watch the game in the dugout or on TV. We literally hit more balls in the cage than we do when we're playing.

"Last year I knew I was a little bit limited, so I knew I had to DH, just to make sure my body was right.''

Buxton spoke with Cruz about the position. Cruz, like Paul Molitor, turned the job into a strict regimen. "Mentally, it's very hard,'' Buxton said.

Last year, as a center fielder, Buxton had an OPS of .853. As a DH, his OPS was .823. That's a negligible difference, one possibly explained by the fact that Buxton was used as a DH when his leg was bothering him.

Buxton. Polanco. Correa. Larnach. Garlick. Wallner. Alex Kirilloff. Joey Gallo. Max Kepler. Jose Miranda. Farmer. Michael Taylor. Nick Gordon.

The DH role could be played by a cast of thousands, but I'm with Buxton: The more he plays in center field, the better this team will be.