CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) After starting spring training with five straight hits, Byron Buxton was 0 for 3 for the Minnesota Twins in a 4-2 rain-shortened, seven-inning win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Buxton had two homers, a double and 10 RBIs in five plate appearances.
''We haven't played very many games out here and he's already shown everyone who's watching he can do a lot of things,'' first-year Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. ''He is as impactful as any player in the game.''
The 25-year old hit .156 with four RBIs over 28 games in an injury-marred season in 2018 when he dealt with migraines, a broken toe plus hand and wrist issues. He batted .300 with 11 home runs, 35 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 57 games after the All-Star break in 2017.
"He can do things on both sides of the ball and on the bases,'' Baldelli said of the center fielder.