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MINNEAPOLIS -- If the Twins are to surge back into the playoff bracket, there’s a good chance it will be because they have Byron Buxton back in the lineup for these most important games.

Buxton played his part in Wednesday’s 8-3 win over the Marlins with a 450-foot blast to tie the game and snap the Twins’ 63-inning homerless drought. Just as significantly, he hit a major milestone that he’d set for himself ahead of the season: To appear in 100 games, which he has done for the first time since 2017.

“It was probably the toughest thing for me on the IL, wondering if I was going to be able to get back to be able to do this,” Buxton said. “To be able to get to this spot and have that chance, it’s definitely exciting.”

This was very important to Buxton, who said the milestone had similar significance to his family, which has been by his side through all the pain and struggles as he averaged just over 70 games per season from 2018-23, not counting the pandemic-shortened '20 season.

His wife, Lindsey, was the one who reminded Buxton that Wednesday's game would be his 100th of the season when they woke up that morning.

“Just something small that is doable and something that’s not putting too much pressure on myself,” Buxton said.

Buxton is back in center field after being held to 85 games and DH duties only due to his persistent knee issues last season. His work ethic or desire have never been in question, as he's pushed through all manner of pain to try and take the field.

Though he missed a month with right hip issues late this summer and two weeks with right knee inflammation in May, Buxton has been largely healthy and as productive as he’s ever been -- and he’s hitting .308 (12-for-39) since his Sept. 13 return, with hits in all but one of those games.

“Buck doesn't need to be motivated,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He's not a player that needs to be pushed to get out there on the field. More times than not, you have to pull him back off the field from playing flat-out injured sometimes.”

This could be important as a building block, but there’s also some value to this season as proof of concept, Baldelli noted. Trying to play Buxton every day hasn’t worked in the past, and the few-days-on, one-day-off schedule the Twins used with him this year clearly kept him healthier and more productive than he has been for quite some time.

“Maybe it is a good threshold, too, for us to look at and say, ‘This is what he’s capable of: Playing 100 to slightly over 100 games. This is good. This is leading to us winning games,’” Baldelli said.

Now, Buxton is with his teammates when they need him most.