After completing a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul, Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers returned to Minnesota's clubhouse before Thursday's 5-2 loss against the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field, according to Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com. Jeffers, who has been out since mid-May due to a left hamate bone fracture, hasn't been reinstated from the IL yet but appears likely to return for Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels.
Ryan Jeffers is back in the Twins’ clubhouse this morning after completing a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) July 9, 2026
No official word yet on his expected return from the injured list, but Jeffers said he feels good and is comfortable with how his wrist responded to game action.
When Jeffers returns, the Twins will have to remove someone from the big-league roster. To many, it may seem that catcher Alex Jackson will be the one to lose his 26-man spot, since the team already has a backup catcher in Victor Caratini. However, Jackson has performed pretty well since having his contract selected roughly two months ago, slashing .296/.321/.407 in 56 plate appearances over 21 games.
Minnesota may want to hold onto Jackson for now, and either keep him in the event they trade Jeffers, or trade him if they keep Jeffers. The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are both contending teams that reportedly want to acquire a catcher at the deadline (per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal), and one of them could be willing to settle for Jackson if Jeffers isn't available. There doesn't appear to be many attractive catchers on the trade market.
Twins may keep Alex Jackson on 26-man roster when Ryan Jeffers returns from IL
Therefore, rather than designating Jackson for assignment, the Twins may decide to option infielder Tristan Gray or outfielder Kyler Fedko instead.
How do you think that the #MNTwins will make room for Ryan Jeffers on the roster?
— Seth Stohs (@SethTweets) July 9, 2026
Holding three catchers isn't ideal for roster construction, but Minnesota has several versatile players who would allow Derek Shelton to not feel short-handed. Kody Clemens and Ryan Kreideler have both played outfield and infield this year, and can do so at an above-average level.
The Twins really couldn't go wrong with optioning Gray or Fedko. Fedko seems like the more likely option to lose his roster spot, as the outfielder rarely plays anyway, mainly serving as a pinch-runner/defensive replacement.
Gray has been a below-average hitter and an abysmal defender this year, but the fact that he can play shortstop may give him the edge over Fedko. Minnesota would likely prefer to keep two shortstops on its 26-man roster and have the option to play Kreidler in the outfield.
Still, it wouldn't be the worst move to send down Gray. Brooks Lee could slide over to shortstop if Kreidler were to suffer a mid-game injury. Sure, the Twins want to keep Lee at third base, but it likely wouldn't hurt if he moved back to his old position for just one game if needed.
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