Minnesota Twins add catching insurance by bringing back former Baltimore Oriole David Bañuelos on minor league deal
The Twins and backstop David Bañuelos have agreed to a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to big league camp, according to KSTP's Darren Wolfson. The catcher was in the Twins system from 2018 to 2022 and spent the last three seasons with the Orioles organization. He had one plate appearance with Baltimore in 2024 and two in 2025. The Orioles outrighted him off their roster in July and he became a free agent at the season's conclusion.
Bañuelos, 29, accumulated just 176 minor league plate appearances over the last two seasons, slashing .171/.284/.270. The Orioles had him on their taxi squad for much of the last two years.
The Twins acquired Bañuelos from the Seattle Mariners in 2017. He eventually reached the higher levels of the minors with Minnesota, hitting .224/.297/.413 in Double-A and Triple-A from 2021 to 2023.
The reason Bañuelos has managed to stick around in professional baseball despite his poor offensive stats is that teams view him as a strong defensive catcher.
Bañuelos likely slots in as the Twins' fourth catcher on their depth chart behind Ryan Jeffers, Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson. Jeffers will be the Twins' MLB starter next year, with Caratini, who signed a two-year, $14 million deal with Minnesota this offseason, being the main backup option as someone who will also likely receive playing time at first base and designated hitter.
Jackson will likely be the third catcher for now, but he is out of minor league options, meaning the Twins will have to carry three catchers on their 26-man roster if they want to guarantee they keep Jackson, who the Twins acquired via a trade with the Orioles for infield prospect Payton Eeles earlier in the offseason. In January, Minnesota and Jackson avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.35 million deal, making the Caratini signing a bit puzzling, as it seemed as if Jackson would be the team's main backup catcher.
But by keeping Jackson on their roster, the Twins will be able to have both Jeffers and Caratini in their lineup at the same time without having to worry about an injury creating an undesirable double-switch situation.
Back to Bañuelos, the catcher will likely start the season in Triple-A St. Paul. The Twins will likely promote him to the majors if the team suffers a catcher injury or two. Additionally, Minnesota may trade Jeffers, who becomes a free agent at the end of the 2026 season, at the trade deadline if the Twins aren't as competitive as they'd hoped, which would bolster Bañuelos's chances of returning to the big leagues.