Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, who ranks second on the team in fWAR (1.7) behind center fielder Byron Buxton (1.8), was removed from Monday's 6-3 win over the Houston Astros due to a sprained left wrist, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. The Twins will examine him further today.
Jeffers injured his wrist when he fouled off a pitch and broke his bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Twins catcher stayed in the at-bat for two more pitches before taking a timeout to meet with manager Derek Shelton and athletic trainer Masa Abe. After the meeting, Jeffers exited the game.
With Jeffers presumably headed to the IL, former Baltimore Orioles catcher Alex Jackson will likely be promoted to the big leagues. Victor Caratini is the only catcher besides Jeffers on the 40-man roster. Therefore, unless Jeffers is unexpectedly placed on the 60-day IL, the Twins will have to clear a 40-man roster spot for Jackson, whom Minnesota sent outright to Triple-A St. Paul in March after designating him for assignment.
When Minnesota acquired Jackson from the Orioles for minor leaguer Payton Eeles in the offseason, many assumed he'd be the team's backup catcher this year. After acquiring Jackson, the Twins agreed to pay him $1.35 million. Then Minnesota surprisingly signed Caratini to a two-year, $14 million deal, the team's largest free-agent signing since Carlos Correa in 2023.
About a week before designating Jackson for assignment, the Twins were reportedly seeking to trade the catcher, per The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey. Since Opening Day was on the horizon, most teams already had a backup catcher plan in place, making it difficult for the Twins to find a team interested in acquiring Jackson, who hit .220/.290/.473 (111 wRC+) with five homers and eight RBI over 100 MLB plate appearances last season.
Jeffers' injury comes at terrible time for Twins
Despite holding a poor 22-26 record, the Twins are still very much alive in the playoff race in a weak American League. Jeffers, who is slashing .295/.408/.541 (165 wRC+) in 147 plate appearances this season, has arguably been the team's best player besides Buxton in 2026. Additionally, if the Twins end up as sellers at the trade deadline, Jeffers, who is set to be a free agent at the conclusion of the season, would be one of the team's most valuable trade assets. If the catcher is out for an extended period of time, it could hurt his trade value. Hopefully, Jeffers will only be out for a couple of weeks or so.
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