Goalkeeper Buffon has been criticised for performing a u-turn on his international retirement after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup and making himself available at the age of 40.
"I want to thank Yamaha, Lin Jarvis and Maio Meregalli in particular for their trust in me, because the challenge is difficult: being competitive until I'm 40 years old," Rossi said.
Rossi said on Wednesday he will try to return to action at this weekend's Aragon GP.
This is the second time the motorcycling legend has crashed this year.
Rossi, who got his first win of 2017, is now in third place in the standings with 108 points.
Italy's seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi was second on his Yamaha.
