Twins outfielder has had a difficult year in 2023, struggling to a roughly league average slash line of .207/.294/.438 in just 82 games while being relegated exclusively to DH duties thanks to troubles with his right knee, on which he underwent surgery this past offseason. With Minnesota having punched its ticket to the postseason, Buxton is nonethele s hoping to return to help the Twins win their first postseason game since 2004 despite not having played in a profe sional game since August 1. In a recent interview with , Buxton discu sed his hopes of playing in the postseason this year and the injury thats bothered him all throughout the 2023 season. Perhaps most notably, Neal notes that Kelly Hrudey Jersey Buxtons knee has given him more trouble than was known publicly to this point or that the Twins anticipated it would. Buxton tells Neal that his role as the clubs DH was initially meant to be a temporary situation, but the knee has caused him discomfort throughout much of the season and has needed to be drained multiple times. Neal notes that young infielder is likely to take up the DH spot in the postseason lineup while he nurses a hamstring strain thats prevented him from taking the field. That leaves Buxton unlikely to return to the lineup as a DH in the postseason, meaning that hell need to prove hes healthy enough to play the field in addition to hitting. That leaves Buxton vying for reps in center field against , who has posted a solid season as the clubs regular center fielder in place of Buxton. Per Neal, Buxton met with Twins manager on Wednesday in order to make the argument that he should be included on the postseason roster. As things stand right now, whether or not Buxton will make an appearance on the clubs postseason roster figures to be decided by how Buxton performs in workouts at Target Field over the weekend, with Neal noting that Buxton is set to hit, run, and play center field while the Twins face the Rockies in Colorado this weekend. The interview sheds light on the Twins postseason plans, indicating that Lewis figures to return to the lineup alongside shortstop , who was as expected to rejoin the lineup in time for (or before) the postseason. Regardle s of whether Buxton is able to return to the Twins before the 2023 campaign comes to a close, Neal relays a piece of positive news regarding Buxtons health: per Twins trainer Nick Paparesta, the surgically repaired part of Buxtons knee is still improving and he shouldnt be impacted by the injury headed into 2024, which will be his age-30 season. Glenn Resch Jersey