Buxton Back From the Dead (Hip) Just in Time for Baseball's Most Magical Night

IOWA -- The corn is tall, the vibes are immaculate, and Byron Buxton is officially back in the lineup. The Minnesota Twins activated the oft-injured superstar from the injured list Thursday, just hours before the team's Field of Dreams showdown with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Buxton has been sidelined for the last 14 games with a right hip impingement, the latest chapter in a frustrating season that keeps teasing greatness before pulling the rug out from under him. This is the second IL stint for the same hip in 2026, and the Twins are praying this time he's truly built different.

A season of what-ifs

Before the wheels fell off, Buxton was having a monster campaign. The 32-year-old is hitting .263 with 25 home runs, 45 RBIs and seven stolen bases across 82 games. But here's the brutal truth: he hasn't gone deep since June 22, and since returning from his first IL stint, he's been a ghost at the plate -- a .160 batting average with zero extra-base hits.

That's not the Buxton the Twins need in a pennant race. That's a guy who looks like he's swinging underwater.

Risking it all for the corn

It's a bold move to bring him back for a game on a farm field in Iowa, but the Twins have no choice. They're barely treading water at 60-62, sitting 3.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central and just half a game out of the final AL wild-card spot. Every game from here on out is basically playoff baseball, and Buxton -- even at 80% -- changes the entire energy of this lineup.

Buxton was named an All-Star starter this year, only to be robbed of the Midsummer Classic by this same hip. He returned July 20, lasted exactly one week, and then the injury bit him again. If this comeback stint ends the same way, the Twins might have to start asking some serious questions about his future.

But that's a problem for tomorrow. Tonight, under the lights with the cornfield backdrop, Buxton gets a chance to be a hero again. If there's ever a place for a storybook comeback, it's literally a field built for dreams.

Buckle up, Twins fans. This one's going to be cinematic.