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As he returns to outfield, Twins figuring out Byron Buxton’s workload day-by-day

betsy helfand, pioneer press
·3 min read

Byron Buxton didn’t play a single major league inning in center field last year, so it’s not so surprising that the Twins are still in the early stages of figuring out what his workload in the outfield will look like this season.

Mostly, they’re reacting to how he’s feeling.

“Absolutely,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I’d be lying if I said any different.”

Through the team’s first six games, Buxton has been in center in four of them. He’s had two days at designated hitter — the role he held last season. The Twins have also had a pair of off days since the regular season began March 28.

The plan for now, Baldelli said, is to just play it day by day.

“If he does need a DH day or not even need a DH day — if it just makes sense to give him a DH day in order to keep him back on the field the following day, then we do that,” Baldelli said.

Buxton was limited to just hitting last year because of a right knee that has twice been surgically repaired. But the knee, by all accounts, has been feeling much better this year, allowing him to go back into the outfield — even if the Twins are monitoring his usage there.

“I think we’ll fall into some sort of rotation where we’ll see him in the field, we’ll see him DHing, maybe play a couple days in a row in the field, then see him DHing again,” Baldelli said. “I think we could see something like that, but it’s all going to have to do with how he comes out of the games. And what he had to do in the game.”

Twins dedicate television booth

Dick Bremer pulled the red covering off the plaque outside the home television booth at Target Field, and with that, the area was renamed after the man who had spent so many hours calling that booth home.

The Twins honored Bremer’s 40-year career as their television play-by-play announcer ahead of their home opener, starting with the dedication of the Dick Bremer TV Booth. Later in the day, after the Twins played a highlight video celebrating him, he gave his traditional left-handed toast and threw out a ceremonial first pitch to Joe Mauer, whose whole career Bremer witnessed and called from the booth.

Bremer stepped down after last season and is now a special assistant in the Twins front office.

It was an emotional day for Bremer, whose wife and two children were with him, as well as four people from his hometown of Dumont, Minn., including his elementary school teacher.

“Somebody asked me the other day about the 40 years, and it’s true for I think anybody who is lucky enough to love what they do professionally, whatever the profession is. You do 40 years and the time goes by like that,” Bremer said, with a snap of the fingers. “I can remember that first game in 1983 like it was the first game of 2023, and so I’ve really been blessed.”

Briefly

The Twins will have Friday off before returning to play the Guardians on Saturday. Joe Ryan will take the ball, opposed by Carlos Carrasco. … Alex Kirilloff, who tripled on both Wednesday and Thursday, doubled the number of triples he had hit in his entire career. He is the first Twin to hit a triple in back-to-back games since Buxton in June 2022.

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