NEW YORK — Two days after the trade deadline had passed, Byron Buxton and Christian Vázquez, two of the most veteran players remaining in the Twins’ clubhouse, convened a team dinner.
The group dined at Morton’s steakhouse in downtown Cleveland. Over the course of the previous few days, nearly 40 percent of the active roster had been turned over, making that Saturday night a prime opportunity for group bonding.
“We wanted guys to come in and relax a bit and know it’s good to be here, be happy about yourself for being here. It’s hard to get up here,” Buxton said. “Don’t take what happened that Thursday and carry it over for weeks. Get together, have a good dinner and go out the next day.”
Though Buxton couldn’t join the group on the field, the all-star center fielder was still doing his part as a team leader in the wake of the roster shake-up. Buxton finally returned from the injured list on Monday. And though the Twins fell 6-2 at Yankee Stadium, he rejoined a group that has seemingly been playing loose and having fun since the July 31 trade deadline.
“I’ve been on the bench seeing them take the extra base, stealing bases,” Buxton said before the game. “It’s fun — we’re a young group, now even younger — to just go out and play baseball. That’s a fun thing to do.”
The center fielder picked off where he had left off before he started dealing with ribcage inflammation, hitting a home run in the sixth inning off Yankees starter Will Warren. It was his team-leading 24th of the season.
It was one of just three hits Warren gave up in a game the Twins (56-62) never led after Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger took Zebby Matthews deep in the first inning.
Matthews, who struck out nine batters in his 5 2/3 innings, also surrendered back-to-back home runs in the third inning, all of the damage against him in the start coming with two outs.
The Twins chipped away at that three-run lead with Buxton’s home run in the sixth and one from Trevor Larnach an inning later but never came closer than that as the Yankees pulled away late in the game against the Twins’ new-look bullpen.
Keaschall honored
Luke Keaschall ended last week with his first-career walk-off home run and started this week with American League Player of the Week honors.
Keaschall returned from the injured list last weekend in Detroit. He had been out since late April because of a fractured forearm suffered when he was hit by a pitch. He picked up right where he had left off, continuing the torrid start to his career.
The rookie received the award for a week in which he hit .455 (10 for 22) with a pair of home runs, 10 runs batted in and a .455 slugging percentage. The 10 RBIs were tied for the major league lead for the week. Keaschall finished Monday 0 for 3, marking the first time in his 13-game career that he did not reached base.
“You try and be confident and go into it and try to make the most of it. But at the same time, I didn’t expect to play as well as this,” Keaschall said of his first 12 games in the major leagues. “You always expect you have to go out and compete. That’s all I’m trying to do.”
Briefly
The Twins are expected to have some form of a bullpen game on Tuesday night against the Yankees. … Former Twins great Johan Santana has been named the pitching coach for Team Venezuela in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. … The Twins are expecting outfielder Matt Wallner (paternity list) to return Tuesday.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach, right, watches as fans reach for a ball hit by New York Yankees’ Cody Bellinger for a home run during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Minnesota Twins pitcher Zebby Matthews reacts as New York Yankees’ Ben Rice runs the bases after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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