The Minnesota Twins designated catcher Alex Jackson for assignment after Thursday night's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the Field of Dreams Game, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes. Minnesota reinstated star center fielder Byron Buxton from the IL ahead of Thursday's game. The Twins didn't need to make a corresponding move immediately, as they were allowed to carry 27 men on their roster for the game in Dyersville, Iowa. The DFA of Jackson gets the active roster down to 26 players. The 40-man roster count is now at 39.
Jackson, who has also logged innings at first base with Minnesota, is being paid $1.35 million this season. He hit .303/.333/.409 (109 wRC+) with one homer and 11 RBI across 69 plate appearances after having his contract selected by the Twins in May. While those are solid numbers, Jackson's underlying metrics suggest he has been lucky.
Jackson's underlying metrics in 2026:
- xwOBA: .220
- xBA: .191
- xSLG: .264
There's a solid chance Jackson clears waivers and is outrighted to Triple-A St. Paul. However, even though he is likely due for regression, several contending teams in need of catching help may be willing to take a chance on Jackson by working out a trade with the Twins for the backstop or claiming him off waivers.
2 teams that could be interested in DFA'd Twins C Alex Jackson
New York Yankees
The Yankees were looking for catching help ahead of the deadline, but ultimately didn't acquire a backstop. They signed Mitch Garver to a minor-league deal roughly a week ago, but could still be interested in Jackson.
The Yankees are still using Austin Wells as their starting catcher even though he has a .581 OPS this year. Despite his overall struggles, he's had a solid August, slashing .348/.400/.609. However, it's doubtful he can keep hitting that well.
New York may be content with the catching duo of Wells and Ali Sánchez, who has a .658 OPS over 63 plate appearances this year, but the club could be interested in seeing if Jackson can provide an offensive boost at the catching position.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have been without starting catcher Will Smith since early June. The three-time All-Star is dealing with a neck injury and it appears he won't return from the IL anytime soon.
To make matters worse for the Dodgers' catching situation, backstop Dalton Rushing recently suffered a torn UCL in his right throwing elbow. Los Angeles addressed its catching injuries by acquiring Ben Rortvedt from the New York Mets and signing Chadwick Tromp to a minor-league deal, but the club could still be interested in adding Jackson to the mix.
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