Byron Buxton's Return to Baseball Is the Guardians' Biggest Threat This Series

The Cleveland Guardians have faced good players this year. There's no question there.

However, there haven't been many as good as Byron Buxton, who at the age of 32, is still dominating at the plate.

And after returning from the 10-day injured list, Buxton is set to take on the Guardians from Progressive Field over the course of four days. The Guardians and Minnesota Twins will play a four-game series from Progressive Field, with the first outing set for Monday, July 20, at 6:40 p.m. EST.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/mYeb52rnLO
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 20, 2026

Activated from the injured list, Buxton shared that the time off the diamond allowed him to reset ahead of an important series.

"Those extra couple of days didn't hurt me to make sure I got everything right before we got here and started this big series," Buxton was quoted as saying. "I think we are all in a good spot as far as going forward and everybody understanding what we got going on..."

While the Guardians sit in second in the American League Central with a record of 52-48, the Twins aren't too far behind at a mark of 49-51. A series sweep would shoot the Twins ahead of the Guardians, which would be a major headline.

After a weekend where the Guardians' pitching and hitting were suspect, they'll have to respond quickly. Giving up 17 runs and scoring just seven, the Guardians dropped a series to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1.

Fortunately, the starting rotation is turning over to a strong bunch.

Monday night, the Guardians will trot out Tanner Bibee, who owns a 3.90 ERA and a 3-9 overall record, before turning to one of baseball's best rookies, Parker Messick, on Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, Slade Cecconi and Gavin Williams will get the nod.

Each will have to be ready for Buxton, who's speed and power makes him a threat in multiple areas.

Leadoff home run for Byron Buxton!

He's now 4th in MLB with 18 homers behind Kyle Schwarber, Yordan Alvarez and Munetaka Murakami 💣 pic.twitter.com/IGbsovcLp6
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) June 5, 2026

As a bunch, the starters the Twins will see have given up a combined 63 runs, with Williams and Bibee leading the pack with 20 each.

If they want any chance of taking down the Twins and keeping pace with the Central-leading Chicago White Sox, cutting down on the home run ball will be a critical point.

The three-time All-Star and one-time Silver Slugger is on pace to hit his career-best home run count of 35, a mark he set last season. On the 2026 season, he currently has 25, all while tacking on 16 doubles and one triple.

Cleveland's pitching has been somewhat inconsistent over the last few series, with both the bullpen and starting rotation each having their issues.

But if they want to keep chasing a potential postseason appearance, this series can't be another dud.

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