The All-Star Game is a showcase for the game’s biggest names, but one of Minnesota’s most electric players won’t be in the lineup Tuesday night. Byron Buxton is on the injured list with a hip issue, which is a bummer for fans hoping to see him patrol center field at the Midsummer Classic.
Still, Buxton made the trip to the All-Star festivities as a three-time selection, and he’s using the moment to reflect on how he got here. During a conversation with the MLBPA, the Twins star credited two Minnesota legends for showing him what it meant to wear the uniform the right way.
Learning from the greats
“I got to play with Torii right before he retired. He took me very well,” Buxton said. “And I got to play with Joe Mauer. Just two of the Twin greats that I got the opportunity to play with. They taught me the right way to go about my business, especially in a Twins uniform and playing the right way.”
Torii Hunter spent the final season of his Hall of Fame-caliber career back in Minnesota in 2015, when Buxton was a 21-year-old rookie finding his footing. Joe Mauer, a hometown hero and former MVP, played through 2018. Buxton soaked up everything from both of them — how they prepared, how they carried themselves, how they handled the pressure of playing in a baseball-crazy market like the Twin Cities.
It’s not easy to stay on the field in this league, and Buxton knows that better than most. His career has been a rollercoaster of jaw-dropping talent and frustrating injuries. But when he’s healthy, he’s one of the most impactful players in baseball — a guy who can change a game with his glove, his legs, or his bat.
“It’s very special to make another All-Star Game,” Buxton said. “It’s not easy to get here. It took a lot of hard work, but it also took a lot of people who kept me on the field throughout their time to get me to where I am for sure.”
A legacy in progress
Buxton’s 2026 season has been another reminder of what he can do when things click. Even with the hip injury sidelining him right now, his numbers this year stack up with the best in the game. He’s hitting with power, running the bases aggressively, and playing the kind of center field that reminds old-timers of Hunter in his prime.
The Twins are counting on him to be a cornerstone for years to come. And based on what he’s saying, Buxton is thinking about legacy — not just his own, but the one he wants to leave behind for the next wave of Twins players. Just like Hunter and Mauer did for him.
“It took a lot of hard work, but it also took a lot of people who kept me on the field,” he said. That’s the part that matters most to him now.
He won’t be playing in the All-Star Game this time around. But the guys who do take the field tonight — some of them might one day say the same thing about Byron Buxton.
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