As we progress deeper into his career, the realization that Byron Buxton will never play a full 162 games in an MLB season is surely setting upon Minnesota Twins fans. Just seven games into the 2022 regular season, Buxton went down with an ankle injury after hitting a leadoff double in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox. Buxton was in visible pain as he smacked the ground beside the base.

Buxton was able to get up under his own power but was immediately removed from the game. Nick Gordon served as the Twins' pinch-runner in Buxton's absence.

The former No. 1 prospect in all of baseball, injuries have put a significant damper on Buxton's career. A player with untapped potential, Buxton has featured in more than 100 games in a single season just one time, back in 2017. He featured in just 28 games in 2018, 87 in 2019, 39 in 2020, and 61 in 2021. In a tale as old as time, Twins fans entered the 2022 season hoping Buxton's injury-proneness would be a thing of the past. Clearly, that's not the case, as the star centerfielder went down just seven games into the season.

We're hoping it's nothing serious for Buxton and that he'll be able to get back out onto the field before long, but considering his injury history, his injury is worrisome for the Twins, especially at this point in the season.

Buxton missed most of the months of May, June, and July, and August while dealing with injuries last season, culminating in a 61-game campaign for the 28-year-old. He slashed .306/.358/.647 with a sterling 1.005 OPS, alongside 19 home runs, 32 RBI and 9 stolen bases in his injury-shortened season.