The Saturday dead tree editions go to bed early, so I was only able to get a few graphs in on the biggest Twins news of the day - that Byron Buxton, despite hitting .365 with an OPS over .900 since coming off the DL at Class AAA Rochester, will not be called up once the Red Wings season ends on Monday.
Wow.

Here are some takeaways from the Twins' stunning decision:
1. Why is he playing if there is still soreness in his wrist? Twins GM Thad Levine said earlier tonight that Buxton wanted to get back in the lineup at Rochester despite not being 100 percent. But if discomfort persists after a few games, why haven't they shut him down?
2. If you know he's not 100 percent, it's got to be harder to evaluate him.
3. The next time Buxton has even a mosquito bite, he's not going to play. The man tried to play on a broken toe during the season, determined to help the team and try to get back on track. He ended up on the DL when that turned out to be a total disaster. Now he's tried to play with a wrist problem. Why can't he come up, take some time to get the wrist right, be a defensive replacement for awhile until he's 100 percent and then get some at-bats?
4. I have now heard from Levine and another Twins official that while his batting average over the last couple of weeks looks good, there are still problems with his approach. My thing is this: Buxton needs to figure things out on the major league level. Why can't he do that with the Twins in September? And, again, if his wrist isn't 100 percent, why are we pushing this in the first place?
5. His agents have got to be upset. The optics here are bad. On July 2, the Twins pulled Buxton off of his rehab assignment, reinstated him from the disabled list (toe) then and optioned him to Class AAA Rochester. He was accruing service time while on rehab, and the move saved them some days. Now, not playing in September keeps Buxton from being a free agent following the 2021 season, pushing that back to 2022. That could light the fuse on a grievance.