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Twins' Buxton to undergo season-ending knee surgery

Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Minnesota Twins will be without their star center fielder for the remainder of the 2022 campaign as Byron Buxton is slated to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday.

He is expected to be ready for spring training, and the operation is reportedly being described as an insignificant "cleanup," according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes.

"The reality is he doesn't have any tears in his knee," president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said, according to The Associated Press. "He has some inflammation, he has some scar tissue, he has ... what ends up building up over time if you have tendinitis, which is kind of fraying areas of some of those ligaments. ... It's to clear that out."

Buxton, 28, has been sidelined since late August with a hip strain that also required a procedure.

The former All-Star and Platinum Glove winner signed a seven-year, $100-million extension with the Twins this past offseason. In the first season of his new deal, Buxton set a career high with 28 homers while hitting .224/.306/.526 over 92 games.

Normally known for his speed, Buxton was more selective on the basepaths this year in order to prevent injury, going a perfect 6-for-6.

Injuries have hampered Buxton throughout his career, as he's played 307 games out of a possible 708 over the past five years. He has failed to reach 100 games in any of the last four full seasons, also playing 39 out of 60 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

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