Buxton voted an All-Star starter and he's relishing the most fun he's 'ever had in baseball'

This one was undoubtedly the most satisfying.

Voted in as a starter by fan balloting for the first time, Buxton reveled in the fact that he landed on the American League squad with Minnesota Twins teammate Joe Ryan for the second straight summer.

Playing on market-value contracts for a team in transition with a bottom-third payroll that conducted a big selloff before the deadline last year, Buxton and Ryan have been prominently included on just about every baseball pundit's list of trade candidates for months on end.

Yet they're both still wearing Twins uniforms and going back to the All-Star Game this season while representing a plucky club that has shown plenty of competitiveness for all of its roster imperfections.

Buxton, a two-time Gold Glove award winner in center field, ranks fifth in the majors with 25 home runs with a robust .904 OPS mark that's his best since 2021. Ryan, one of the pitchers elected by the players, leads baseball with 19 starts and is seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio.

“It means a lot to be able to represent the Twins but also to be able to start out the season good,” Buxton said in New York on Saturday when MLB unveiled the All-Star teams. "To be able to run it back with Joe is a little bit more special to me.”

The second overall pick in the 2012 draft, Buxton has deftly persevered through his well-documented history of injuries to become not only the five-tool player the Twins long envisioned but a vital leader in a clubhouse of mostly younger players who revere him.

Despite a threadbare bullpen and a series of injuries that have diluted a strong group of starting pitchers, the Twins have so far hung around in both an AL Central division that's there for the taking and a wide-open race for three wild-card spots. They won a road series against the Yankees over the weekend for the first time in 12 years.

“I truly think this is the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball,” Buxton said. “With the support that we have in here, the resilience that the team has, everything that makes this group us. I know I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Buxton was removed from the game on Sunday as a precaution after feeling discomfort in the right hip that has given him problems from time to time this season, putting his All-Star Game appearance in question with the event approaching on July 14.

"Yeah, I mean reaggravation of the hip," Twins managers Derek Shelton said Sunday. "I think it was a situation after the steal. I mean, he had to go hard on the ball that Wes knocked down and then on the second one it kind of grabbed on him a little bit. So just, you know, it's one of those things where we got to make sure that we stay we stay ahead."

The Twins were off on Monday, giving him a bonus day to rest before starting a three-game series against division rival Cleveland on Tuesday. But so far, Buxton has not had to go on the injured list at all this year, another point of pride for the 32-year-old. Even with the setback Sunday, he's listed as day-to-day.

“I don’t want to set myself back farther, just in case I was trying to push through it or whatever the situation was,” Buxton said after the game on Sunday. “I don’t want to put the team in a bad spot by me trying to go out there and be Superman by trying to play one game and I end up missing a month.”

During the team's most recent homestand, general manager Jeremy Zoll began an interview session, unprompted, by declaring that Buxton has never been on the trade block and won't be now. Buxton, for his part, has a no-trade clause that he has consistently and emphatically alluded to anytime his status comes up with reporters. Buxton's contract, which pays him a little more than $15 million per year, expires after the 2028 season.

“We have no plans to trade Byron,” Zoll said. “It's not something we're exploring. It's not something we plan to explore.”

Cleveland Guardians (47-44, second in the AL Central) vs. Minnesota Twins (44-47, third in the AL Central)

Minneapolis; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. Pregame at 6:00 p.m. on 830 WCCO and the Audacy app (in-market only)

PITCHING PROBABLES: Guardians: Joey Cantillo (7-3, 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 89 strikeouts); Twins: Taj Bradley (7-3, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 102 strikeouts)

LINE: Twins -122, Guardians -100; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Twins host the Cleveland Guardians to start a three-game series.

Minnesota has a 44-47 record overall and a 22-23 record in home games. The Twins have hit 117 total home runs to rank fourth in the AL.

Cleveland has a 47-44 record overall and a 23-22 record in road games. The Guardians are 34-16 in games when they record at least eight hits.

Tuesday's game is the fourth time these teams square off this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Byron Buxton has 16 doubles, a triple and 25 home runs for the Twins. Josh Bell is 9 for 38 with three doubles, a triple, four home runs and 11 RBIs over the last 10 games.

Brayan Rocchio has 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 37 RBIs for the Guardians. David Fry is 3 for 17 with two home runs and four RBIs over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 6-4, .260 batting average, 4.35 ERA, outscored opponents by 11 runs

Guardians: 5-5, .249 batting average, 3.86 ERA, outscored by one run

INJURIES: Twins: Byron Buxton: day-to-day (hip), Zebby Matthews: day-to-day (foot), Ryan Jeffers: 10-Day IL (hand), Anthony Banda: 15-Day IL (lat), Mick Abel: 15-Day IL (elbow), Garrett Acton: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Cole Sands: 15-Day IL (forearm), Bailey Ober: 15-Day IL (elbow), David Festa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Pablo Lopez: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Guardians: Angel Martinez: 10-Day IL (foot), Jose Ramirez: 10-Day IL (hand)