Twins DH Byron Buxton has knee surgery; Alex Kirilloff set for shoulder surgery

Fourteen months have passed since Byron Buxton manned center field for the Twins, but he underwent a procedure on his knee Friday in hopes that it will move him closer to playing defense in 2024.

Buxton, limited to 85 games exclusively as a designated hitter this year, had arthroscopic surgery around the patellar tendon in his right knee. The 29-year-old former Gold Glove winner, who made one pinch-hitting appearance during the postseason, dealt with fat pad syndrome irritation, which caused pain behind his kneecap.

Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said Buxton should be moving around in a few weeks to begin physical therapy and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.

"We're hopeful that this will get him on track," Falvey said. "It obviously wasn't the season Byron wanted from a physical standpoint. We did all we could throughout the course of the year to try to put him in the best position to be successful. He worked really hard."

Buxton consulted with Twins medical director Dr. Chris Camp and Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache, among others; they thought the surgery was necessary. Buxton underwent surgery on his right knee in September 2022 after he had fluid drained throughout the year, but that resolved a different issue.

"This one wasn't something that existed a year ago in terms of the evaluation and where things were," Falvey said. "This is one that developed more related to the patellar tendinitis that he was dealing with this year, and a potential path to help alleviate this. In some cases, I'm sure this plica issue wouldn't necessarily be surgically removed, but I think because he's dealt with persistent symptoms, that's a path."

Buxton remains under contract with the Twins through the 2028 season. He had trouble offensively as a full-time DH, batting .207 with 17 homers, 42 RBI and a .294 on-base percentage in 304 at-bats.

Are the Twins worried Buxton's knee injuries will continue to persist?

"Hopefully, this will be a step that gets us in a direction towards making sure it's less of a problem going forward," Falvey said. "He'll have to manage it. We know that part. But ultimately, hopefully we can manage it a little bit better going forward."

The Twins relied on Michael A. Taylor as their everyday center fielder throughout the 2023 season. Taylor is set to become a free agent after the conclusion of the World Series.

"If you take a prime Byron Buxton and sprinkle it on top of what we were doing at the end of the year, that could be a very special type of situation," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "But we have to get to that point. There's going to be a lot that goes into getting to that point. He's going to do everything on his end that anyone could do to be ready."

Buxton was added to the Twins' postseason roster before Wednesday night's Game 4 of the American League Division Series in place of Alex Kirilloff, who was removed from the roster because of pain in his right shoulder. The first baseman is scheduled to undergo surgery Oct. 24 to repair a torn labrum.

"We won't have an update on timeline with that until post-procedure," Falvey said. "I think if he had got through the first rehab and there was no soreness, and he got through the end of the year in an OK spot, it might not be a surgical procedure."

There are questions about how the uncertainty with the Twins' TV situation could affect their payroll for next season. Their contract with Diamond Sports, the parent company of Bally Sports North, expires at the end of the month.

"I look at the group that is coming," Falvey said. "We talked about a lot of young players. Ultimately, they are going to take on roles maybe where guys were making a little bit more money in those spots before. That's natural. That's the evolution of the roster, but I don't have a specific answer on that yet. I think we're just going to have to monitor that through the course of the offseason."