Butxon could begin the 2016 season in the minors, manager Paul Molitor told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "There will be a question about whether Triple-A at-bats are needed for him to start the season or will he make an impression that will be so favorable that we will lean to go with him right out of the chute," Molitor said in remarks to the media at the MLB winter meetings.
It seems unlikely that Buxton would begin the season in the minors given that the Twins traded away Aaron Hicks this winter, but he did struggle in his first exposure to the majors last season. Buxton hit just .209 with a .576 OPS in the majors and looked overmatched as he was often lost and free swinging at the plate. He had an ugly 6:44 BB:K ratio in stark contrast to his minor league career where he showed impressive control of the strike zone. Eddie Rosario could begin the season in center field, but the odds are still high that Buxton wins the job in spring training as the organization's top prospect.