Surgery needed for pair of Twins stars

Now that the Twins’ season is over, surgery is in the cards for two prominent Minnesota players.  Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune) that Byron Buxton was undergoing an arthroscopic right knee surgery Friday, and that Alex Kirilloff will undergo a procedure to fix his torn right labrum on Oct. 24.

This is the second straight year that Buxton will have undergone an arthroscopic procedure on his troublesome right knee, though Falvey noted “This one wasn’t something that existed a year ago in terms of the evaluation and where things were.  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’s long injury history is well-documented, as is the fact that the former Gold Glover was entirely limited to DH duty in 2023 due to lingering discomfort in his right knee.  The experiment wasn’t too successful, as Buxton hit a modest .207/.294/.438 over 347 plate appearances in 85 games, and he didn’t play again in the regular season after Aug. 1 due to a hamstring strain.  While rehabbing that hamstring injury, Buxton played seven innings of one minor league game in center field, but that seemed to again re-aggravate his knee issues.  He didn’t make it back to action at all until Game 4 of the ALDS when Minnesota inserted Buxton onto the roster as an injury replacement for Kirilloff — Buxton had one at-bat as a pinch-hitter, popping out to first base in his only appearance during the Twins’ playoff run.

Unfortunately for Buxton, it doesn’t seem like this latest surgery will entirely correct what seems to be a chronic knee issue.  Falvey described today’s procedure as “hopefully…a step that gets us in a direction towards making sure it’s less of a problem going forward.  He’ll have to manage it.  We know that part.  But ultimately, hopefully, we can manage it a little bit better going forward.”

In terms of timeline, Buxton will be able to start physical therapy within a few weeks’ time, and Falvey said the All-Star should be ready for the start of Spring Training.  If all goes well, Buxton should be able to return to center field in at least a part-time capacity in 2024, though naturally things are still very much up in the air given how Buxton’s knee (to say nothing of several other injuries) have plagued him throughout his career.  As a result, the center field position will remain a question mark for the Twins, since Michael A. Taylor is slated for free agency until Minnesota can work out an extension before the market fully opens five days after the end of the World Series.

Kirilloff is also no stranger to the surgical suite, after undergoing wrist procedures in each of the last two seasons.  Kirilloff hurt his right shoulder back in June while diving for a ball, and attempted to play through the pain before finally going onto the injured list for what ended up being around a six-week absence.

“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,” Falvey said, though unfortunately, Kirilloff’s shoulder acted up against during the ALDS to force the situation.  Falvey noted that a recovery timeline won’t be known until the surgery actually happens, though Kirilloff expressed optimism Thursday when speaking with the media that it would be a relatively simple recovery.  Kirilloff throws with his left arm and not his right, so that should already cut back on the rehab required.