Byron Buxton sat in the outfield grass at Perfect Game Field Sunday afternoon and signed autographs for 45 minutes.

There were young fans, older fans. Male fans, female fans. Hundreds of fans, who formed a squiggly line down the right-field line and patiently waited for his autograph.

Buxton signed baseballs, shirts, pictures and caps. His teammates signed autographs, too, but they were finished in 10 or 15 minutes.

Not Buxton. He kept signing and signing, until there was nothing more to sign.

Meanwhile, there were whispers going around Veterans Memorial Stadium Sunday that Buxton will be promoted very soon, perhaps right after he plays in the Midwest League All-Star game in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday night.

If not then, then perhaps shortly after.

If it's true, Buxton and Cedar Rapids Manager Jake Mauer kept a poker face when asked about the star's future.

Buxton insisted that nobody with the Kernels or Minnesota Twins has said a thing about a promotion to the Florida State League. He also said he's not sure if this was his last game in town or not.

"Who knows?" he said while signing another autograph. "If I come back here, that would be awesome. If I get moved up, that would be awesome, too."

He knew one thing for sure Sunday, but it had nothing to do with a promotion. "I know I have to be back up here at 7 to go to Dayton for the all-star game," he remarked.

Mauer told reporters that pitcher Hein Robb is being sent to Elizabethton in the Appalachian League after appearing in three games for the Kernels, but said there was no word on Buxton or anyone else.

"Eight guys are going to get on the bus and go over to Dayton and have some fun, enjoy themselves," said Mauer, talking about the eight Kernels on the all-star team. "We'll see what shakes out here.

"It would be nice to keep them together."

Buxton is hitting .344 with eight homers and 52 RBIs in 64 games. He also has 15 doubles, eight triples and 29 stolen bases, along with a highlight reel of spectacular diving catches.

Buxton, Niko Goodrum, Jorge Polanco, Dalton Hicks, Adam Brett Walker, Travis Harrison, Jose Berrios and Steven Gruver made the all-star team. Hicks leads the Midwest League with 63 RBIs in 66 games and could be high on the list for a promotion to Minnesota's High-A team in Fort Myers, Fla., after hitting his 12th homer and driving in six runs Sunday.

"There are probably several kids that could go up there and help and do well," said Mauer. "That's just the nature of the beast. That's the way it is."

The Kernels finished the first half of the season with a crushing 10-9 loss to the Peoria Chiefs, who erased a 9-5 deficit in the top of the ninth inning with a five-run outburst that eliminated the Kernels from pennant contention.

Buxton went 2-for-6 with an RBI, but struck out with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to end the game. It was a rare failure for the 19-year-old outfielder from Georgia.

"He's been our lynchpin," said Mauer. "He's handled himself very well. He brings a confidence about himself. He challenges his teammates, which is huge."

Buxton thinks he's improved as a ballplayer in Cedar Rapids and has gotten himself ready for the next step, whenever it comes.

"I feel like I did," he said. "I did a whole lot better than previous years. I still have to work hard on getting better in every aspect of my game."

Buxton appreciates the warm support he's received from Cedar Rapids fans the past few months.

"It's been good," he said. "I've got a lot of fans. I'm just trying not to disappoint them, just go out and play my hardest."

He called his time in Cedar Rapids "very memorable."

"I hit my first walk-off here. I've had some good times," he said. "We won a lot of games, we clinched the playoffs. That's the good part about it, and just had a lot of fun here."