Twins DFA reliever at center of Aaron Judge-Blue Jays controversy in 2023
Minnesota is sending their struggling reliever (with a weird past) packing once again.
Normally, the Minnesota Twins designating a struggling fringe reliever wouldn't be all that noteworthy. This is the time of the year when teams across MLB start doing roster housekeeping and take stock of their needs with the trade deadline approaching.
However, the Twins' DFA of Jay Jackson is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. One, this is the second time that Minnesota has designated Jackson for assignment this season, which is quite the rollercoaster for him. The other is that Jackson has a curious history that he brought with him to the Twins and it involves perennial MVP candidate Aaron Judge.
Twins News: Minnesota designated reliever Jay Jackson for assignment again
Before the Twins signed Jay Jackson to a one-year deal for the 2024 season, he had bounced around the league, including a stop with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023. It was during that destination that Jackson found himself in the middle of a controversy involving Judge and the Yankees who some accused of stealing signs while facing Jackson.
However, Jackson was quick to take accountability and said that the real problem was that he was actually tipping his pitches and the Yankees caught on to it.
Twins reliever Jay Jackson was designated for assignment, Rocco Baldelli said. No announcement yet on who is called up.
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) June 20, 2024
Aside from that weird situation, Jackson's time with the Twins has been pretty disappointing overall. In 20 appearances with Minnesota in 2024, Jackson has posted a 7.52 ERA including three straight appearances since his most recent call-up where he has given up at least one earned run.
With the Twins hanging on for dear life in the AL Wild Card race, they simply can't afford to have a guy constantly getting beat up and coughing up games coming out of the bullpen. Jackson has been a good reliever in the past and he already made it through waivers once this year, so there is a decent chance that he will make it back to the Twins' minor league system where he will hope to get right and potentially get another opportunity later in the season.
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